仲丹勋，Unnamed, 1993

Known as 山水画, or literally translated as Mountain Water Painting, it's known as one of the highest forms of Chinese painting. With its inception in the Tang Dynasty, these landscape paintings focus on realism, but put a greater emphasis on grasping an emotion, such as turmoil or tranquility. From Tang Dynasty, and especially the Song Dynasty, artists began blurring the background and intensifying the clarity of the foreground. These landscape paintings also do not use color to enhance their beauty, but rather use depth and specificity. Often on the side of the paintings, there will be rows of punctilious and beautiful handwriting often on the scenery painted, or to a alluded political view- all usually written in poetic prose.

(Apparently, now I have to give my "thankfulness." I'm thankful for this painting because now I can do my Art History blog post. I'm thankful of it's background, foreground, and middle ground. I guess I can be thankful for it's lackluster color choices. I'm thankful for having free reign over blog posts to write this post, and I'm thankful for Mr. Luce's friends that helps boost this blog's traffic. [I'm also thankful for Ryan Gosling and all his glory.])

Now, I'm more thankful for the artist in this case, rather than the painting - but that doesn't undermine  my high opinion of the type of paintings. These landscape paintings have surrounded me all my life. They represent my culture that I've always felt a detachment to, and they represent uniqueness to a specific country only. However, most of all, they represent my mother because my mother actually painted this in 1993. It was on display in the Suzhou Lion Grove Garden before my relatives bought it back for us. It was one of the last paintings my mother ever painted before she came to the United States. She gave up her passion for us. I dedicate this "Thanksgiving: Susie Is Thankful" post to my mother who gave up her fantastic talent for me and my sister.