Landscape to Soul Summary Class 11 English

Summary of Landscape to Soul

Landscape to Soul summary will help you learn about this chapter in a very simple and easy manner. This chapter comprises two parts and Nathalie Trouveroy is the author. The author has taken the first part from the ‘Landscape of the Soul: Ethics and Spirituality in Chinese Painting’ whereas the second part has been derived from “Getting Inside ‘Outsider Art’.” Getting Inside is an article that was published in the Hindustan Times in 2005. It is written by Brinda Suri.  The main theme of the chapter is about the arts. It revolves around the art of painting told through the help of various stories. We learn about Chinese painters and their works as well as the story behind them. Similarly, the second part explores the concept of ‘art brut’ meaning the art of the ones who have no right. Thus, we learn a great deal about art and its history.

The Theme of the Chapter

This chapter’s ideology teaches you the value of imagination and how different painters perceive the world. The art form does not have to be viewed via a single lens; there are numerous ways to imagine a single painting. The author attempts to demonstrate a comparison of various art genres based on regions in ancient times. The author compares Chinese and European art by telling two anecdotes about Chinese art and one about European art. Europeans want exact replicas, whereas art is the essence of life and energy in Asia. Understanding Chinese art necessitates the viewer’s active participation, both physically and mentally. The lesson also helps readers comprehend how realistic the paintings were and how beautifully they were all produced.

Character List in Landscape to Soul Class 11 English

• Wu Daozi – was a painter who flourished in the 8th century and was commissioned by the then-emperor Xuangxon to create a landscape picture.
• Quinten Metsis – was a talented blacksmith who fell in love with the daughter of a painter. He knew he wouldn’t be accepted by the girl’s father, so he painted a fly to get acceptance as an apprentice at the studio.

Landscape to Soul Summary in English

This chapter divides into two parts, each telling us about art and its history through various stories. In the part taken from ‘Landscape of the Soul: Ethics and Spirituality in Chinese Painting’, we learn about the art of painting through two stories. The first one is about a very popular Chinese painter, Wu Daozi. It is about the eighth century when he was hired by the Tang Emperor Xuanzong to adorn a wall of the palace.

Wu painted beautiful scenery with mountains, waterfalls, forests as well as clouds and blue skies with people living harmoniously in a happy environment. However, he painted a cave at the foot of a mountain that was inhabited by a spirit. Only the Emperor could see the master’s work because it was hidden behind a screen. When the painter was showing his work to the emperor, he made the Emperor gaze at a cave at the bottom of the mountain in the image and relate it to a real spirit. The painter clapped his hands, and the cave’s entrance opened. The painter entered the cave, but the door closed behind him, and the picture vanished from the wall before the Emperor could move or say anything. There was no sign of Wu Daozi’s brush, and the artist was never seen again in this world.

Thus, after disappearing, the author says that denotes the knowledge of the mystical inner world. Thus, it says that only the masters are aware of the way within and can go yonder any material form. Similarly, the second story is about a painter who believed in art’s mysteries and spiritual magic. His faith in his art was so strong and potent that he was terrified of bringing it to life and falling prey to a fire-throwing dragon.

Next, we have the third one about a Master Blacksmith, Quinten Metsys, who falls in love with the daughter of a painter. As the father was not accepting of his son-in-law belonging to such a profession, he still did so. So Quinten crept into the painter’s workshop and painted a fly on his most recent panel with such deft realism that the master sought to swat it away before realizing what had happened. It had such gentle realism that it resembled a real one. These two stories demonstrate what each style of art aims for: a perfect, illusionistic resemblance in Europe, and the essence of inner life and spirit in Asia.

Further, the author also talks about Chinese philosophy, Shanshui, meaning mountain water.  This universe, according to Daoism, is made up of two complementary poles: Yin (feminine) and Yang (masculine) (masculine). The cosmos is created by the interaction of these two energies. A landscape is referred to as “Shanshui” in Daoism. However, it does not depict a genuine landscape; rather, it depicts the Daoist vision of the universe.

Finally, the second part of ‘Getting Inside ‘Outsider Art’ by Brinda Suri talks about the concept of ‘art brut’. Art Brut translates to the art of the ones who have ‘no right’ to be artists. It is because they lack any formal training yet somehow possess artistic talent and insight. She refers to them as the ones who think outside the box and defy the normal standards. People refer to their work as ‘unorthodox’ art. In the 1940s, French painter Jean Dubuffet questioned the concept of ‘art brut.’ Prior to that, the art of the untrained visionary was of secondary importance. Around the same period, “an untrained genius was constructing paradise.” She cites the example of Nek Chand’s work at Rock Garden in Chandigarh as a form of art brut.

Conclusion of Landscape to Soul

To sum up, in Landscape to Soul summary, we learn that art is an infinite form that has a rich history and it cannot fit inside any certain box or label, it has a life of its own.

Landscape of the Soul Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1: What is the distinction between Chinese and European art?

Answer 1: Chinese and European art vary in that European art strives for a perfect, illusionistic likeness, but Chinese art seeks to capture the essence of inner life and spirit in Asia. The Chinese landscape painting is a depiction of the artist’s thoughts rather than a reflection of actual sight. Western painting is a visual and realistic art form in Europe. The European painter paints a landscape to depict a specific scene in the landscape, whereas the Chinese painter does not select a specific viewpoint.

Question 2: What do the terms ‘outsider art,’ ‘art brut,’ or ‘raw art’ mean to you?

Answer 2: ‘Outsider Art’ is art created by untrained artists, such as youngsters or mentally ill people. ‘Art Brut’ or ‘Raw Art’ is a type of art created by non-professionals who make an art piece with their own depth and understanding rather than from a stereotypical form of classical or fashionable art.

Question 3: Explain the Chinese philosophy of Shanshui.

Answer 3: Shanshui art is not a normal painting. To begin, when Chinese artists work on a painting, they did not attempt to depict an image of what they have seen in nature, but rather what they have imagined about nature. Shanshui painting is done entirely with ink and a brush. Rivers, mountains, and waterfalls stand out in this art form. It introduces the notions of “yang” and “yin.” Yang is stable, dry, warm, vigorous, and manly; it is vertical. Yin is horizontal; it is the earth’s water, fluid, chilly, and wet. It is a comprehensive understanding of Daoism.