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Prints capture West Lake beauty
Print Edition
WATER has long been a major subject in traditional Chinese art, with painters exploring its artistic and metaphorical potential for centuries. In addition to brushes and rice paper, ancient artists also used woodblock prints to capture water.
Watercolor block printing originated in China some 1300 years ago. Though its popularity has waned in modern times, there are still artists today in China who continue to work in this time-honored medium.
Zhejiang Art Museum is now hosting an exhibition of modern and antique woodblock prints depicting Hangzhou’s famous West Lake.
The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) illustrated guidebook “Splendor of the West Lake Landscape” is the highlight of the exhibition. Its creator, Chen Changxi, intended the work for the sightseers of his day. The copy now on view is the only one known to have survived the passage of time.
By the Ming Dynasty, the West Lake had already become one of the most popular scenic spots in the country. To provide visitors with an overview of the lake and its points of interest, Chen invited a group of native officials, monks and literatus to help design the book.
The volume is highly valued among historians thanks to its combination of superb block printing, exquisite art work, refined poems, delicate seal cuttings and calligraphy.
In addition, it exemplifies the pinnacle of printing technology at the time. Twelve pages were printed in four colors, while another 33 pages are printed with three typefaces, namely regular, semi-cursive and cursive scripts.
Meanwhile, the book provides historians with a glimpse into the traveling habits of Ming Dynasty literatus, who often journeyed in luxury to the country’s scenic spots.
The book illustrates that they would take horsetail whisks, oiled paper umbrellas, bamboo alpenstock and Taoist fans to show off their elegance while on the road. Sometimes, they would write poems, play Chinese chess and six-string zithers when inspired by the splendid landscape.
This rare volume also recommends ten scenes around the West Lake, some of which can still be found in modern traveling handbooks.
Other noteworthy books on view include “The New Domestic Spectacles,” “The West Lake Records Compilation for the Emperor,” “The West Lake Anecdotes” and “Government Record of Hangzhou City.”
These books were all printed during the Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, and epitomize the development of printing technology in China and Hangzhou’s long-standing tourism industry.
The other areas of the exhibition display contemporary watercolor block printing works. More colors and poetic methods were used in these works to depict the city’s picturesque scenery.
The atmosphere of the show is aided by visual effects like virtual waves rippling over walls and the sound of water flowing around exhibition hall. Visitors may feel like they’re sitting by the shores of West Lake themselves as they take in this exhibit.
Zhejiang Art Museum
Date: Through September 25 (closed on Mondays)
Admission: Free
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