AT THE ALLEN / SPRING 2025 / 9 ON VIEW / RIPIN GALLERY / JAN 31–AUG 10 EIGHT VIEWS: PLACE, PICTURE, AND POEM IN EAST ASIA The Eight Views tradition, originating in 11th-century China, demonstrates how East Asian artists have historically engaged with nature through art. Rather than simple landscape documentation, these works capture specific atmospheric moments—night rain, descending geese, temple bells—creating 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 Chinese thematic elements through their own cultural lens. Through woodblock prints by artists like Hiroshige, these environmental perspectives became widely accessible. Emphasizingmultiple viewpoints, this artistic tradition offers valuable insights for contemporary environmental discourse. Artists depicted various relationships with nature, frompanoramic mountain vistas to intimate seasonal changes, suggesting a deep understanding of ecological connections. These artworks often incorporate texts— poems, place names, or poetic titles—highlighting their cultural significance. The Eight Views’s journey fromChina to Japan shows the role of the arts in transmitting knowledge and culture. Today, as regions across East Asia continue to designate their own Eight Scenic Views, these landscapes serve as cultural markers and focal points for environmental preservation. This centuries-old tradition reminds us that appreciation and stewardship of natural landscapes have long been fundamental to East Asian cultural consciousness, providing historical context for modern environmental literacy. Organized by Kevin R. E. Greenwood, Joan L. Danforth Curator of Asian Art; and Ann Sherif, Professor of Japanese; with Mei Corliss (OC 2027), Jackson Davies (OC 2026), Michelle Chen (OC 2027), Phebe Grandison (OC 2027), Thea Larks (OC 2027), Gabe Liftman (OC 2026), Greta Lee (OC 2026), Phoebe McChesney (OC 2025), Zala Mendelson (OC 2026), Julianna Reineks (OC 2026), Bangbo Sun (OC 2024), Elliot Ungar (OC 2026), and Zaden Viola (OC 2026).
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