Reconstructing an ancient artistic tradition with modern landscapes

It is hard to imagine how Wang Ximeng felt when he finally finished the landscape scroll he had been ordered to create by Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). However, the undertaking exhausted Wang's talent and, ultimately, his life; historical documents record that the then 18-year-old prodigy and court painter died shortly after the completion of the masterpiece — his only known work in existence — Qianli Jiangshan Tu (A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains). After more than a millennium, the scroll is now rekindling people's interest in the qinglyu (blue-green) style of classical Chinese painting.

Shan Se (Hues of Mountains), an ongoing exhibition at Shandong Art Museum, in Jinan, the provincial capital, showcases the artwork of contemporary artists who are using the same techniques as those found in the qinglyu tradition. It is believed that the style originated no earlier than the third century BC, and continued to be refined until the early 20th century.

Rooted in the Chinese perception of nature, the cosmos, and life, the unique style constructs an artistic expression imbued with an Eastern sensibility.