XuGu （虚谷）

XuGu （虚谷）is a priest painter like Shitao （石涛）. But XuGu （虚谷）is much more near to us.
Shitao （石涛）1642–1707,  Qing Dynasty (1644–1911)
XuGu （虚谷）1824–1896

Shitao lived in early Qing while XuGu lived in late Qing, almost two hundred years apart. I once liked XuGu's paintings, say about 20 years ago but my interest shifted to some other Chinese painters. XuGu's paintings are conspicuous and easy to recognize. His paintings have his own "风格" or "taste" or "style" or "uniqueness" so he has been regarded as a great master painter in China. Like Shitao XuGu tried to sell his paintings in the market. Maybe the time was different XuGu's attempt seems successful to some extent unlike Shitao. This may be due to the environments in his period when the commercialization of paintings and the market of paintings were emerging. Shitao tried to modernize (change) the Chinese paintings with his great ambition. Though XuGu also tried to modernize the Chinese paintings but at a much more personal level, ie his own paintings and with not so big ambition. His modernization (being different from the old styles) was made but seems to have been made more by the influences of his friends (including well known painters) than by his own thoughts.

However he made remarkable modernization in Chinese paintings. His paintings show this. I have checked his paintings and found the followings:


1) Simple 3D Expression on 2D (paper)

 
  
Please look at the round shape lotus roots and you may find their thickness.


 2) Rhythm and movement



Repetitive patterns (in space) create rhythm in painting like repetitive sound patterns in time passing
create rhythm in music. This painting also makes a viewer to feel movement or even speed. This is due to the same downward direction of a group of fish and the arrow like shape of fish. You may count the number of fish but most Chinese people count them and find the clearly visible eight (8), which is the lucky number for them. Plus Yu 鱼 (meaning fish in Chinese) sound like another Yu 余(meaning abundant or rich in Chinese). So this painting was made intentionally for sales. This is a common practice in China. Not purely <Art for Art>. Never the less this painting has a very high artistic value.



The repetitive patterns render rhythm.


3) 3D Expression in 2D Landscape painting




Near - Mid - Far objects create space.
Please also see the third picture - Repetitive pattern landscape.
 

AAG