Main Intersections in the Approaches of Russian and Chinese Artists to Chinese Landscapes Painting

The uniqueness of the natural landscapes and architecture of China is currently attracting the great attention of many painters from around the world. For example, the direction devoted to Chinese culture and landscapes is actively developing in Russian fine art. Painters from Russia make organized, often repeated trips to China, the purpose of which is not only to get acquainted with the history of the state and the peculiarities of the life of the local population, but also to create landscape works, which allows them to hone their skills and significantly expand the boundaries of their own creativity. The nature of China has become an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Russian artists who love and appreciate, first of all, the genre of realistic oil landscape.

The figurative symbolic interpretation of the landscape in painting is carried out in inseparable connection with the cultural landscape, which expresses national ideas about the native land, the mentality of the people, their self-consciousness and worldview. Modern Russian and Chinese artists in their landscape paintings continue to develop ideas about the national cultural landscape.  Of particular interest is the modern Russian painting dedicated to Chinese landscapes. The nature of this direction is particularly specific, since the phenomenon of perception of not native, but foreign cultural landscape is realized in the work of artists, opening up opportunities for their comparison and dialogue by pictorial means. The present study solves the problem of identifying the main intersections in the approaches of Russian and Chinese artists to the embodiment of Chinese landscapes in painting.

When comparing landscape works by Chinese and Russian artists dedicated to China, it should be noted that there are some intersections and fundamental differences in them. If we talk about the similarity, it can be traced in the application of a variety of expressive techniques. For example, landscape images of China, both Russian and Chinese artists are embodied by methods of realistic painting. For example, Mikhail Borisovich Lavrenko (born 1952) creates many of his paintings during plein-airs. It is the work in direct contact with nature that is the basis of the artist's artistic search. Lavrenko's Chinese landscapes recreate the natural beauty of the region in its entirety. The master's works are as diverse as the natural landscapes of the country – they combine the image of mountains, forests, and the shores of reservoirs. At the same time, each painting is distinguished not only by thoughtful, attentive comprehension and reproduction of living nature, but also by the integrity, uniqueness of the image. The artist likes to embody the breadth of space as a distinctive feature of the Chinese landscape. Color solutions are always individual. Some works are designed in a rather ascetic color and tonal scale (Fig. 1), while others (Fig. 2, 3) are filled with color, tonal transitions. Using the contrast of warm and cold tones, Lavrenko builds a harmonious and majestic image of the nature of China. The images created by him are simple and memorable, invariably disposing to contemplation and admiring the enduring beauty of nature.

Fig. 1. Lavrenko M.B. In the mountains of Laoshan. 2012. Oil on canvas, 60x80 cm.

Fig. 2. Lavrenko M.B. Lake Sairam – Nur. 2014. Oil on canvas, 60x100 cm.

Fig. 3. Lavrenko M.B. Altai. Lake in the mountains. 2014. Oil on canvas, 60x100 cm.

For modern Chinese artists, the appeal to the realistic method in the artistic embodiment of the landscapes of China is a natural continuation and development of the traditions of the Russian realistic school, which, as we pointed out earlier, had a very significant impact on the formation of modern painting in China as a whole. In addition, as it was shown in the second chapter, the choice of Chinese artists in favor of the realistic method is currently due to the fact that many of them form their principles of writing as part of training, internships at Russian art universities and due to the activation of various forms of exchange of experience with Russian landscape artists. For example, the works of the Chinese master Tian Haibo (born 1962) embody individual corners of his native land. The artist's paintings are filled with life and color. The expanse gives way to quiet, secluded, but surprisingly picturesque places (Fig. 4). The compositions that Tian Haibo creates are complex: wildlife is often depicted together with human architectural creations, animals, birds and people themselves also figure (Fig. 5). The artist feels and conveys the harmony of the world in his own way, the beauty of the Chinese landscape, where nature and man are inseparable. There is a lot of light and sun in the paintings. The landscape is made in a realistic manner – in front of us is a realistic transfer of an ideal world.

Fig. 4. Tian Haibo. Golden autumn.

Fig. 5. Tian Haibo. Morning.

When comparing landscapes of China created by Chinese and Russian artists, it is impossible not to notice the influence of Western aesthetics, which is common for many artists. Thus, the neo-impressionistic manner is manifested in the Chinese landscapes of the original artist Hong Leung (born 1933). Leung's canvases embody images of provincial fishing villages, vivid images of waterfalls and mountain ranges. The artist is a bold experimenter, particularly in the field of color. The originality of Leung's artistic handwriting is due to the uniqueness of his magical palette, which absorbed the entire spectrum of the rainbow. The artist has a free manner in the embodiment of natural landscapes, not limited by any stylistic framework. Such works of the master as "Hong Kong Village" (Fig. 6) convey feelings of harmony, tranquility and peace, differ in spatial volume. His other canvases, for example, "Rainbow Mountain" (Fig. 7) embody in a semi-abstract manner a subtle image of nature: dreamy, illusory, fantastic, imbued with light, which, refracted, generates a variety of colors. The unique manner in which the artist depicts waterfalls, mountain peaks of China filled with fog, invariably leaves an indelible impression, gives scope for imagination. Fog is an important image of the artist's paintings. Fog envelops the landscapes depicted by the artist, showing their ghostly nature, they appear like mirages for a moment out of the fog and immediately disappear from sight, leaving a feeling of unreality of the image of nature depicted in the picture (Fig. 8).

Fig. 6. Hong Leung. Hong Kong village. 1986.

Fig. 7. Hong Leung. Rainbow Mountain. 2016.

Fig. 8. Hong Leung. Twilight Fog II. 2018.

Landscape images of China created by Russian artists also reveal features of impressionism. For example, N.V. Burtov (born 1956) embodies Tibetan images in a manner characteristic of himself, consisting in the union of saturation of color combinations and the expression of a separate smear ^[4]. In his Chinese paintings, the artist refers to one of the main themes of his work – the "portrait of the house" (Fig. 9). At the same time, his important task also becomes "displaying a living impression of the constantly changing world, the movement of life itself" ^[4]. In the work "Lan Mu Monastery in Tibet" (Fig. 10) Burtov gives a panoramic image of the Tibetan monastery. The buildings inspire a sense of heavy, static monumentality. The artist uses a rich color expression, trying to convey the charm and originality of the Chinese architectural ensemble. However, this immovable image, seemingly beyond the flow of time, as the author shows, is filled with life and movement. The dynamic beginning of the image is given by the figures of people hurrying to the temple, monks and pilgrims, who are depicted by the artist in a special manner. The effect of movement is given not only by the indistinct outlines of the figures, but also by the long shadows that they cast, as if plotting the trajectory of the perfect movement. The whole picture is imbued with the play of light and shadow. The road, directed into the distance, to the gates of the temple, is quite wide, and the images of travelers fill it to a large extent, which is why there is a feeling of a living human stream, which is endlessly directed to the monastery. So Burtov manages to inspire the monumental and static image of the monastery with the qualities of dynamics, movement, change, and fullness of life.

Fig. 9. N.V. Burtov. Early morning. 2017. The painting was made en plein air in China (Tibet).

Fig. 10. N.V. Burtov. "Lan Mu" Monastery in Tibet. 2017.

Fig. 11. N.V. Burtov. Lan Mu Monastery in Tibet. 2017.

Another artistic variation on the theme of the same temple complex is presented in the painting "Lan Mu Monastery in Tibet" (Fig. 11). One of the cozy courtyards of the monastery is embodied here. The artist pays a lot of attention to the embodiment of the architectural appearance of the monastery, using a rich color scheme, and in this picture the presence of the inhabitants of the temple also becomes an integral part of it. Dynamism is definitely present in the picture, but the accents are shifting. The people depicted on the canvas are overwhelmingly monks. Their poses are static, as are the shadows cast by the figures. Two monks in the foreground turned their gaze to a small corner of nature depicted in the left part of the composition. With juicy contrasting strokes, the artist embodied not only the greenery of trees. The image of nature shown in the picture is formed by mountains written monolithically with trees, which are also not painted with a boring shadow, but are broken up with rhythmic and sometimes contrasting color strokes. The liveliness of the image of nature is also given by the sky, which is stunning in beauty and artistic execution: lively, gentle, airy and dynamic. The gaps of the blue sky contrast sharply with the roof – golden, elegant from the point of view of architectural form. In the image of the roof, there is a repeating rhythm of the plane formed by a series of horizontal strokes, which argues with the vertical of the dome, directed upward to the sky. The artist gives the sky a different character: a series of restless, chaotic ones appears in it, many of which are directed from top to bottom. The painting is not only filled with grace and color, but also differs in the richness of light. The embodiment of light and shadow is unique and immediately attracts the eye: in the foreground of the painting there is an unusually expressive abundance of color – in the image of a platform flooded with light and a shadow that abruptly changes the light, which is cast by the building on the right side of the image. 

As we can see, the landscapes of China, both Chinese and Russian artists can be embodied, both in a realistic and impressionistic manner, giving artists an inexhaustible source for inspiration, the formation of their own style, encouraging experiments. Assessing their painting from the point of view of content, we must admit that here we should talk more about differences than about similarities. Nevertheless, it can be argued that the paintings of Russian and Chinese painters devoted to the landscapes of China still have a number of intersections. Embodying images of Chinese nature in their works, both Chinese and Russian masters focus on the beauty, uniqueness of the depicted landscapes, the national identity of architectural monuments. Artists of both countries strive to deeply understand and feel nature, life itself. Chinese painting, as well as Russian, is largely characterized by a contemplative character in the embodiment of Chinese landscapes, poetry and spirituality of nature images.

In our opinion, such intersections are explained by the presence of similar features in the national character of Russians and Chinese, their attitude, worldview. First of all, these are such manifestations as: contemplation, the desire for understanding, irrationalism, spirituality, faith in moral ideals, the search for harmony in nature, harmony of nature (the divine principle) and man. For example, Russian artists, constructing the image of their native land in their work, often turn to the image of an Orthodox church. Even in the painting of Russia at the beginning of the XX century, the desire to know the essential nature of the Orthodox church is manifested, which will eventually turn this image into a symbol of Russian spirituality. The image of the temple is embodied as something immutable and eternal.

Russian Russian artist's specific "landscape" vision is manifested in the sound of the idea of hierarchical subordination and interconnectedness of all parts of Nature, which was accepted by Russian symbolists as a given ^[5]. It is no coincidence that many Russian artists who first found themselves in China are delighted at the sight of Tibetan monasteries, numerous ancient architectural monuments of a religious nature. The amazingly beautiful and harmonious combination of the creative idea of man and nature is familiar to Russian artists from the Tsarskoye Selo, Peterhof, Pavlovsky, etc. palace and park ensembles. That is why such places as Beihai, Yiheyuan, Xiangshan, Lianhuachi, Shichahai, Taozhantin parks in Beijing are in tune with the Russian soul, in which the features of grandiose northern parks and refined southern gardens are combined – the lakes are quiet and serene, the islands united by long ornate bridges conceal a mysterious atmosphere, fascinating with its tranquility, inspiring serene and a contemplative mood. There are also religious buildings filled with solemnity, and sometimes all this complements the splendor of the imperial palaces.

In this regard, it is worth mentioning the creative projects and experiments of the Russian artist A. Vasilyeva (born 1975). Her Peterhof – Iheyuan projects deserve attention. Summer Imperial Residences" and "Poetry of Gardens of China and Russia: Yuyuan – Petegof – Iheyuan". These exhibition events, which took place both in China and in Russia, presented to the public works written during plein-airs in the famous palace and park complexes of the two countries. There are no direct links between the ensembles of Peterhof and Iheyuan. "There are no repetitions, prototypes in this dialogue, the owners of the two residences have not visited each other." [2. p. 86] At the same time, Vasilyeva discovers typological similarities between Chinese and Russian parks and embodies the analogies she found by pictorial means. "Both parks were conceived and equipped in the XVIII century by two of the greatest monarchs, builders of empires, whose deeds made up entire epochs – the Russian Peter I and the Chinese Qianlong… Everything was with meaning and meaning, hinting at wisdom, enlightenment and the indisputable virtues of the owners of the residences. Both parks have become exciting historical legends for posterity" [3. pp. 9-10].

The intersections between the works of Chinese and Russian artists can also be traced in the fact that the landscapes of China sometimes receive a conceptual reading from them, and landscape images are used as a conceptual, not a poetic metaphor. The artist P. Petrov (born 1986) in his work refers to universal ideas and concepts that can be understood by people regardless of nation, culture, etc. He notes: "I would like the viewer anywhere in the world to be able to see himself in my paintings, especially a person living in a megalopolis" ^[6]. The problems that the artist touches upon as a result of his trip to China turn out to be extremely complex and relevant. In his painting, Petrov touches on the concepts of nation and individuality. He creates a deep conceptual image of the "man of the world", which is collective for him, since in general it becomes the embodiment of modern man, in which any cultural differences are extremely generalized. "A person becomes an "information accumulator", he acquires the image of his most important interlocutor — a computer. The idea was born on the basis of the statement of Euripides: "Tell me who your friend is, and I will tell you who you are." A person now communicates with a computer, as if with his loved one, and his consciousness gradually "turns around". Not the person's face itself, but his consciousness becomes square" ^[6]. The rich city of skyscrapers Shen Zhen, according to Petrov, one of the most square cities, became a beneficial ground for reflection ^[6]. Talking about this country, the artist embodies in his works the modern architecture of the metropolis, based on a combination of cubes and parallelepipeds. People are depicted in a similar way: "Square figures express the general trend of human development in the technogenic world" ^[6]. Thus, urban landscapes of China in the works of P. Petrov become a metaphor for alienation, seriality, which lead to a total loss of identity [1. pp. 77-78.].

Contemporary Chinese painter Yao Lu (born 1967) also creates conceptual images of Chinese landscapes. The artist's paintings at first glance resemble traditional Chinese landscapes – they feature classic images of rocks, waterfalls, rivers and, of course, mountains. However, if you take a closer look at the image on the canvas, it becomes obvious how these paintings differ from the classical Chinese painting "rivers and mountains". Compared to the idyllic landscapes of the ancient masters, his landscapes are nothing more than landfills and garbage heaps, which are then complemented by trees, fog or the Great Wall of China. So there is an imitation of idyllic landscapes. Deliberately including "draped" elements of urbanization in his works, the artist uses the landscapes of China as a metaphor for the impending environmental threat posed by urbanization.

Thus, it can be concluded that in the course of comprehension by Russian and Chinese artists of the landscapes of China, the focus is either the tasks of comprehending and displaying national culture, or the tasks of postulating conceptual ideas that go beyond the national framework and have global significance.

The material presented above illustrates the idea that landscape painting by artists of Russia and China reveals similarities in formal terms: representatives of both countries use techniques, techniques, expressive features of both the realistic school and Impressionism. The realistic method of Chinese artists is in many ways closer to the Russian landscape school due to the specifics of the cultural and historical development of China and the strengthening of relations between Russia and China in the middle of the XX century, in particular, in the field of art education. At the present stage, many Chinese artists are also actively adopting the basics of the realistic method within the walls of Russian universities. It is important that, despite the unflagging interest of Chinese artists in the Russian school of painting, they still strive not for superficial copying and imitation, full acceptance of the principles of foreign painting. Chinese masters' understanding of the basics of creativity consists primarily in exploring their "I" through pictorial means, which is inseparable in the Chinese's view from the country, national culture, and people of China. That is why the works of modern Chinese artists cannot be confused with the works of European or Russian painters. Executed in accordance with the principles of realism or impressionism, these works not only reflect the flavor of society, the rhythm of cities, the charm of nature and rural life. These works clearly show the principles of traditional Chinese painting – gohua.