EIGHT VIEWS: PLACE, PICTURE, AND POEM IN EAST ASIA The Eight Views tradition, originating in 11th-century Chinese poetry and painting, demonstrates how East Asian artists have historically engaged with nature through art. Each image offers a distinctive view of rivers andmountains, land and sky; snow and moon serve as reminders of the cycle of the four seasons and the passage of time. Pay attention to the ways these works also capture specific atmospheric moments, engaging the senses so we feel the night rain and listen as the temple bells resonate through the mist. Through this set of natural motifs, the Eight Views gave rise to a sophisticated vocabulary of environmental and spiritual expression influenced by earlier poets like Dù Fǔ 杜甫 (712–770 CE). When Japanese artists adopted the Eight Views in the 16th century, they often situated the tradition in their local environments, particularly around Lake Biwa near Kyoto, and Edo (modern Tokyo). They reinterpreted classical Chinese thematic elements and concepts of landscape through their own cultural lens. Through affordable woodblock prints by artists like Hiroshige, these environmental perspectives became widely accessible. Today, as regions across East Asia continue to designate their own Eight Scenic Views, these landscapes serve as cultural markers and focal points for conservation of biodiversity and open spaces. The centuriesold Eight Views tradition reminds us of the potential of the arts to nurture a strong sense of place and deep emotional connections with nature that, in turn, contribute to environmental literacy, ethics, and stewardship. Utagawa Hiroshige I 初代目歌川広重 (Japanese, 1797–1858), Ōmi: Lake Biwa and Ishiyama Temple, no. 22 from the series Pictures of Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces, 1853. Color woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper. Mary A. Ainsworth Bequest, 1950.1277. See page 61 for detailed information. ALLEN MEMORIAL ART MUSEUM 39 Artists working in the Eight Views tradition explored sensory, visual, emotional, and spiritual human connections with nature.
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