Landscape in Moonlight

Ma Yuan, one of China’s best-known artists, was a key figure in Southern Song Dynasty, which is the period widely celebrated as the golden era of Chinese landscape painting (Gombrich 152). Painted by Ma Yuan in 1200, Landscape in Moonlight depicts a man holding a wine glass in front of the huge mountains. The composition of this painting is very special – the whole scene is divided into “right” and “left” sections with fog filling in between. The left part is what Ma focused on and seems closer to him, while the right part seems farther. By doing this “void” and “real” are presented harmoniously and simultaneously. As a renowned artist, Ma Yuan’s genius lay on the landscape constructing skills. The mountains are very high and magnificent; for showing it Ma put the sun right above the top of the mountains. The outlines are clear and firm, clearly and straightly dividing the mountains into different layers. The trees and grass are also exquisite; leaves of the trees that are pretty close to Ma are painted in details while those that are far from him are painted generally. On the other hand, the man that is seating on a rock and drinking seems really small since he is surrounded by the nature.

Thematically, sitting with none except the servant standing beside and waiting for adding liquid when necessary, the man in the painting is lonely. Since he is drinking, it is highly possible that something is worrying him, and he is looking for solutions from nature. In fact, Ma Yuan might be that man. The Chinese landscape painters prefer being alone in a certain space and meditating in the construction of the paintings (Gombrich 153). In other words, “solitude” and “reflection” do not only present themselves in the mind of the man in painting, they are also alive in the painter’s mind.

Gombrich, E. H. The Story of Art. London: Phaidon, 1995. Print.