Artist: Wong Kwok Cheun
Embodying the powerful, poetic element of earthly beauty, Water View at Guilin, China, transports viewers directly to the rock peak hills that stand tall within the prefecture. The painting is two-fold. Below the horizon line emphasizes water, while past the horizon, earth. Rivers such as the Li or Yulong characterize Guilin, and this piece conveys that characterization with a body of water that is clear and neutral. Instead of being oversaturated, the water has a soft sheen with contained areas of deep blue at its center, reflecting and shading the open sky and more. The river holds a double for each peak in the distance. An entire second image has been brushed over the water to mirror the ranges. Like their background counterpart, the mountains in the water stand tall and wide. They loom over all else. However, those that are part of the background have extra layers to them, with greenery lining their tops and edges while gray, brown, and white tones cascade and combine to craft elegant, rocky towers of life.
Water View at Guilin, China, is an artistic epitome. Just as a breeze passing through mountains creates loving symphonies, the painting sings a balance of realism and ethereal emotion. A viewer is grabbed and taken to an area that has absorbed and birthed centuries of history. An endless inspiration, the land formations in Guilin exhibit decadence and attune the mind to the indescribable awe that Mother Nature instills. The rough, precise components on display have the traits of a contemporary, meaningful, and connective novel. It takes its audience away. Yet, this is more than a mental vacation. It’s a journey through a different lens of life. Each second spent viewing the piece is a moment for the mind to recover and contemplate.
