Allen After Hours / Eight Views and Seeing the Big Picture

Bird’s-eye view. Scenic overlook. A room with a view. Panoramic views. How do we construct views, and how do views construct us in our age of heightened ecological concern? De-nin Lee, Professor of Art History at Emerson College, begins with a journey to Mount Hua, one of the Five Sacred Mountains of China. A geological feature called the Immortal’s Palm is prominently depicted in one of eight landscapes that make up the Eight Views of Guanzhong by late 19th-century painter Wǔ Tinggui. This work is now preserved as a set of rubbings in the Allen’s collection. Through the selection of places, the conventions of picturing, and the addition of poems, Wǔ imprints human concerns onto his landscapes. This talk suggests the importance of a planetary perspective to understand the geological conditions and ecological circumstances that figure in Wǔ’s art.

Image: Wǔ Tíngguì (Chinese, active 19th century), Immortals Abode at Huayue (detail), from the series Eight Views of the Guanzhong Region, first half 20th century. Ink rubbing. Friends of Art Fund, 1950.112.