“The greatest difference between my Song-inspired works and those of the Song masters is that I hope to paint the 1,000-year distance between myself and them.”
Yang Jianyong
In viewing the work of contemporary Chinese artist Yang Jianyong, one recognises an interest in China’s exceedingly long history of landscape painting, dating back to at least the 6th century CE. In his watercolour on paper composition ‘Gold Mountain’ 2015, Yang makes explicit reference to key paintings from the Sui and Tang Dynasties, notably the work of Zan Ziqian (mid to late 6th century CE) and Wang Ximeng (1096-1119).
Zan Ziqian’s 6th century ‘Stroll About in Spring’ (游春图) (Beijing Palace Museum) is perhaps the earliest surviving example of Chinese landscape painting extant. With its green and blue tones, Zan’s style influenced important later painters including the precociously talented 18 year old Wang Ximeng whose masterpiece ‘A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains’ (千里江山圖) 1113 CE (Beijing Palace Museum) is regarded as a defining masterpiece of Chinese painting.
Residing in Beijing, Yang has had direct access to these works. On view in the Palace Museum, iridescent colours, which are visible in the antique paintings, is a distinct inspiration for Yang’s colour palette. The blues and greens, which are contingent on the use of malachite and azurite stone pigments, are also present in Yang’s composition. At 138 cm in width, this horizontal format is alive with small details that make for an especially lively scene.
While Yang aligns his practice with these key antecedents, he also overlays abstract washes and stains to create dreamlike conditions. Students of Taoism may recognise in these meandering stains and watermarks references to the ‘Tao Te Ching’ or ‘Book of Changes’, also dated to between the 4th and 6th centuries CE. According to Taoist philosophy, flux states, change and impermanence are the perpetual conditions of existence; it is through accommodating oneself to the vagaries of change that equanimity is attained. According to the artist, qiyun, or ‘spiritual resonance’ remains a defining feature of his art. His recent exhibition at Vermilion Gallery, Sydney includes many such compositions that shed light on Yang’s contemplative practice. Such works as ‘Quail’ 2025, and ‘Picture of a Secluded Valley 2’, 2025 convey a deep appreciation for the natural world as conveyed through the work of a rigorously trained painter. In contrast, large-scale works, including ‘Snow in High Latitudes 2’, 2025, (173 x 84cm) are reflective of Yang’s ability to unite contrasting styles of brushwork.
For Australian audiences, Yang Jianyong’s work offers a vital point of contact with China’s long history of painting. Here is a tradition, which despite many upheavals, persists in contemporary China today. It is through the work of such artists as Yang Jianyong that the complex forms of classical painting are both maintained and advanced through considered innovation.
DR DAMIAN SMITH
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