Landscape of the Soul

Confucius(551–479 BCE) : Widely considered one of the most important and influential
individuals in human history, Confucius's teachings and philosophy formed the basis of East
Asian culture and society, and continue to remain influential across China and East Asia today.
His philosophical teachings, called Confucianism, emphasized personal and governmental
morality, correctness of social relationships, justice, kindness, and sincerity. Confucianism was
part of the Chinese social fabric and way of life; to Confucians, everyday life was the arena of
religion
Zhuangzi (late 4th Century BCE) : Zhuangzi played a key role in the ancient classical
philosophy of Daoism The period was marked by humanist and naturalist reflections on
normativity shaped by the metaphor of a dào—a social or a natural path. Traditional orthodoxy
understood Zhuangzi as an anti-rational
Anecdote : a short, amusing story about a real incident or person
Delicate realism : this refers to the alluring quality of a work of art which makes it seem real.
Illusionistic likeness : The technique of using pictorial methods in order to deceive the eye. This
refers to the illusion created by the semblance of something.
Figurative painting : This refers to art which depicts the shape of things, objects, places and
perceptions.
Conceptual space : Signifying the relationship with the abstract than the factual representation.

1. Contrast the Chinese view of art with the European view with examples.
a. Art, according to the Chinese, is a representation of the mind or spirit whereas Art is
representative of the figure or body in the European perspective.
b. The inner universe is revealed in Chinese paintings whereas The emphasis in
European paintings is on a faithful representation of the subject's physical
appearance.
c. Example: Daozi's painting is not only beautiful but also alive. It has a way that only
the painter understands. This is as opposed to Metsys' artwork, which is extremely
realistic. It's a dead ringer for a real fly.

2. Explain the concept of shanshui.

a. Literally means Mountain – water
b. Mountain is Yang – characteristics of the same while water is Yin (mention the
characterics of yin
c. Relationship with Daoism.

3. What do you understand by the terms ‘Outsider Art’ and ‘Art Brut’ or ‘raw art’?
a. ‘Outsider Art’ refers to the art work created by amateur or untrained artists. Outsider
art is art by self-taught or naïve art makers. Typically, those labeled as outsider
artists have little or no contact with the mainstream art world or art institutions.
 Characteristically, outsider art portrays extreme mental states, unconventional ideas,
or elaborate fantasy worlds.
b. ‘Art Brut’ or ‘raw art’ to describe art such as graffiti or naïve art which is made
outside the academic tradition of fine art. This may include the work of the insane,
prisoners, children, and primitive artists was the raw expression of a vision or
emotions, untramelled by convention.

4. Who was the ‘untutored genius who created a paradise’ and what was the nature
of his contribution to art?
a. The “untutored genius” who created “paradise” was Nek Chand
b. He made the world famous rock garden at Chandigarh.
c. An example of ‘outsider art’ in which he sculpted with stone and recycled materials.
d. He used anything and everything from a tin to a sink to a broken down car to form an
artistic piece.
e. One of his famous creations are ‘Women by the Waterfall’.