Dong Yuan

Dong Yuan's style, a cornerstone of the Southern School of landscape painting, is characterized by a soft, atmospheric rendering of nature, often depicting the misty, rolling hills of Southern China.

Key characteristics include:

• Shifting Perspective: Creates a sense of depth and vastness.
• "Hemp-fiber" (pi ma cun) brushstrokes: Loose, textured strokes resembling tangled hemp fibers, used to model forms.
• Soft, atmospheric light: Emphasizes mist, humidity, and a hazy atmosphere.
• Use of ink wash: Creates subtle tonal variations and a sense of ethereal beauty.

Themes:

• The tranquility and harmony of nature
• The beauty of the Southern Chinese landscape
• The Daoist ideal of living in harmony with nature

Tie to his name: Think of "Dong" (pronounced "dong" like the sound of a bell) and "Yuan" (meaning "distant"). Dong Yuan's paintings evoke the distant, hazy, and echoing landscapes, like the reverberations of a bell across misty mountains. This helps capture the feeling of his style.