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Humanities LibreTexts

2.16: Travelers Amidst Mountains and Streams

  • Page ID
    359681

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    A dark, mountainous landscape featuring steep cliffs and mist, framed with decorative blue borders and text at the top.

    Artist: Fan Kuan
    Medium: Ink on silk
    Art Historical Time Period: Northern Song Dynasty (11th Century CE)

    "Travelers Amidst Mountains and Streams" is a famous Chinese landscape painting created by the artist Fan Kuan. This artwork beautifully captures towering mountains, flowing water, and small human figures traveling through nature. In traditional Chinese culture, landscape paintings like this were more than just pictures — they expressed spiritual ideas about balance, harmony, and the relationship between humans and the natural world.

    Fan Kuan used a style called shanshui, which means “mountain-water,” to show depth and emotion in the landscape. His brushwork and attention to detail were revolutionary for his time and set a high standard for future landscape artists. The painting is celebrated for encouraging viewers to think about nature’s power and beauty and their place in the universe.

    Vocabulary

    • Shanshui A Chinese term that means "mountain-water," referring to the style of painting landscapes.

    Student Authors

    • Chris Serrano '23 and Amanda Guitierrez '23

    References and Image Attribution

    • Fang, X. (2010). “The Art of Chinese Landscape Painting.” Art Journal, 69(4), 21–35.
    • Sullivan, M. (2008). Art and Artists of Twentieth-Century China. University of California Press.
    • Zhang, Y. (2011). “Chinese Landscape Painting: The Song and Yuan Dynasties.” Journal of Asian Studies, 70(3), 673–694.
    • Image: “Travelers Among Mountains and Streams” via Wikimedia Commons by Choufanging, licensed under Public Domain. Modified from original.

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