Department or Program
Asian Studies
Abstract
Contemporary Chinese artists utilize landscape art traditions from shanshuihua 山水画 (mountain-water painting) to convey their modern conceptions of China’s environmental relationships. By drawing on the philosophical concepts surrounding this landscape tradition, artists illustrate the environmental consequences of urbanization and industrialization. This study aims to outline these unique interpretations of environmental change through works by Xu Bing (b. 1965), Yao Lu (b. 19?), and Yang Yongliang (b. 1980). Specifically, it analyzes the contemporary technological motifs within the art pieces, such as the integration of industrial machinery, skyscrapers, and waste. The results suggest that these contemporary shanshui aesthetics have the ability to circumvent potential political and social barriers within China that often surface when discussing the negative impacts of urbanization.
Level of Access
Restricted: Embargoed [Open Access After Expiration]
First Advisor
Lu, Zhenzhen
Date of Graduation
5-2022
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Recommended Citation
Landgren, Anna, "Shanshui Reinterpreted: The Contemporary Art of Xu Bing, Yao Lu, and Yang Yongliang" (2022). Honors Theses. 408.
https://scarab.bates.edu/honorstheses/408
Number of Pages
82