Explain the concept of Shanshui. What do you understand by the terms 'Outs
art' and 'art brut'?
Answers
Shanshui expresses the Chinese view of art as a conceptual space. It literally means mountain-water, which, when used together, represent the word ‘landscape’. Mountain and water represent two complementary poles of an image. They are essentially Yang and Yin, two seemingly opposing forces complementing each other for a unified whole, the landscape. The mountain is Yang – stable, warm and dry in the sun, reaching vertically towards the sky, while the water is Yin – fluid, moist and cool, horizontal and resting on the earth.
Outsider art is a term that describes artistic creations by someone who has no formal training to be an artist. However, they show unmistakable artistic talent and insight, and their work poses a stimulating contrast to the mainstream art. Art brut or raw art, a term used by the painter Jean Dubuffet, refers to art forms which are outside the conventions of the mainstream art world. They are in their raw state in respect of their cultural and artistic influences