Classical Origins and Modern & Contemporary Catalysts of Non-Figurative Expression in Chinese Landscape Painting

Abstract

Chinese landscape painting boasts a profound tradition of non-figurative expression. This feature is not a derivative of Western modern abstract art, but possesses self-sufficient classical origins rooted in the autonomous evolution of brush-and-ink formulas, the aesthetic awareness of "being between likeness and unlikeness", and the spatial philosophy of "treating blank space as solid black". On this basis, this paper examines the evolutionary path of non-figuration in landscape painting since the 20th century. The convergence of formal autonomy of Western modernism and Eastern aesthetics has served as a catalytic opportunity for this process. Chinese artists have conducted explorations along two avenues: the "internalized abstraction" grounded in brush and ink, and the "external experimental innovation" dominated by material concepts. The former is represented by Huang Binhong's vigorous and rich brushwork and Zhang Daqian's late-period splashed-color landscapes, while the latter is represented by Liu Guosong's Modern Ink Painting Movement. This study finds that the non-figuration of landscape painting is not a betrayal of its realistic tradition, but a natural extension of its inherent logic within modern contexts, thereby presenting a unique path of modernity defined by "externalization of internal origins".