Sierra Laico

AP Art History
March 20, 2019

#201 Travelers Among Mountains and Streams and #118 The Valley of Mexico from

the Hillside of Santa Isabel

Fan Kuan’s masterpiece is a great example of Chinese landscape painting. Long before

Western artists considered landscape anything more than a setting for figures, Chinese painters

had elevated landscape as a subject of its own. China’s natural landscape has played an important

role in the shaping of the Chinese mind and character. Fan Kuan painted a bold and

straightforward example of Chinese landscape painting. Boulders occupy the foreground and just

beyond them are detailed brushwork describing rocky outcroppings covered with trees. Two men

with a group of donkeys and a temple are partially hidden within a forest, and a central peak rises

from the mist and is flanked by two smaller peaks in the background. The most impressive

aspect of Fan Kuan’s composition is expressed through the skillful use of scale, and how it can

dramatically heighten the sense of vastness and space.

Utilizing the Neo-Confucian theory of observing things in the light of their own principles

(called Li), Fan Kuan was able to organize and present different aspects of a landscape within a

single composition—doing so with a constantly shifting viewpoint. As Fan Kuan sought to

describe the external truth of the universe visually, he discovered psychological truth

simultaneously, thus allowing him to reflect his open character and generous disposition.

The imagery of The Valley of Mexico from the Hillside of Santa Isabel offered an

opportunity to highlight symbols of patriotism valuable to a newly independent society of. After

the 1821 war of independence from Spain, Mexico sought to establish its identity through artistic

endeavors. The practice of national landscape painting was part of the dictator Lopez de Santa
Anna’s efforts to re-establish the art academy after decades of neglect following the formation of

Mexico as an independent nation. Using atmospheric perspective and tiny human figures, Velasco

creates a sense of monumentality and awe of nature—the viewer “stands above the mountains”

and looks down to survey the scene.

Overall, both pieces represent important periods in the development of their cultures, one

coinciding with Neo-Confucianism and the other with Mexico’s national identity. Both emphasize

an idea of cultural unity and prosperity, suggesting that the artists are proud of their culture.