Since the Tang Dynasty in 716 AD, the Yueyang Tower has guarded the Northern gateway to the Hunan province, the point where the Yangtze River meets the Xiang River at Lake Dongting. The site, once a platform for the Wu Kingdom (222-250 AD) general Lu Su to train his naval troops1, offers a beautiful and strategic panoramic view of the surrounding area and a near bird’s eye view of the lake – one of China’s largest bodies of fresh water. The tower had already been through numerous reconstructions, most recently during the Song Dynasty in 1054, when Hsia Yung (mid 14th century) masterfully depicted an idyllic scene of life in Yueyang: scholars stroll about in the foreground amongst the trees and rocks, people enjoy a meal in the tower, and
…show more content…
Railings, lintels, windows, and doorways look as if they could really be passed through or opened and shut."6 But immaculate detail can have its detractions. Yung, like his master Wang Chen-p’eng, uses detailed brushwork and well-conceived forms to reveal the complexity of architecture, but some have called Yung’s work “fussy” and “decorative.”7 The “Yueyang Tower” is without question an extraordinarily detailed and beautiful painting, but too much detail can produce a surreal effect, burdening the viewer with too much to take in at …show more content…
By combining the two paintings and orienting ourselves with the boat floating on celestial Lake Dongting, the plan makes perfect sense and only the portion furthest from the Lake is obscured. Judging by the orientation of the building with respect to position on the silk, this obstructed part may be less important, possibly just a covered walkway between the
Railings, lintels, windows, and doorways look as if they could really be passed through or opened and shut."6 But immaculate detail can have its detractions. Yung, like his master Wang Chen-p’eng, uses detailed brushwork and well-conceived forms to reveal the complexity of architecture, but some have called Yung’s work “fussy” and “decorative.”7 The “Yueyang Tower” is without question an extraordinarily detailed and beautiful painting, but too much detail can produce a surreal effect, burdening the viewer with too much to take in at …show more content…
By combining the two paintings and orienting ourselves with the boat floating on celestial Lake Dongting, the plan makes perfect sense and only the portion furthest from the Lake is obscured. Judging by the orientation of the building with respect to position on the silk, this obstructed part may be less important, possibly just a covered walkway between the