Contemporary Chinese landscape paintings: genealogies of form

ABSTRACT This article examines differing conceptions of ‘form’ in Western and Chinese landscape traditions, leading to critical perspectives on contemporary Chinese landscape painting. The paper argues that Chinese oil landscapes tend to be conservative, while ink landscapes are more experimental. Furthermore, Western Formalism can be shown to influence Chinese landscape painting, expanding possibilities for both oil and ink contemporary works. Nonetheless, a longer tradition equally persists. Su Shi (1037–1101), for example, who prefigures the literati painting approach, remains an enduring influence. The scholarly style, experimental during the Song Dynasty, conveys a painting's spiritual expression over precise techniques. An examination across Western and Chinese traditions enables a genealogical reading of form in the work of contemporary Chinese artists, bridging history and modernity, Western and Eastern styles, and accounting for differing approaches to form.