Examines Traditional Chinese Vs Western Conceptions Of Space by looking at scrolls created during Qing Dynasty China.

1. “Journey Through
Space”
What the Kangxi and Qianlong
Southern Inspection Tour Scrolls
reveal about
Chinese and Western
Concep'ons of
SPACE
Robert Ponzio
Chair, Fine Arts
Oak Hall School
Gainesville, FL

2. Website studies Qing Dynasty History and Culture by examining
Southern InspecGon Tour scrolls commissioned by
Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong

3. The Manchus were foreigners
who established the Qing Dynasty after
conquering the Ming.
Kangxi Emperor
Reigned 1662‐1722
Portrait of the Kangxi Emperor as a Young Man,
Anonymous

4. Tradi'onal Western One Point PerspecGve System
Depic'ons of Space
•Concerned with reproducing how the eye sees
• Image has fixed edges
•Organized based on receding vanishing points
•ArGst controls viewer vantage point
GenGle Bellini’s “Procession in Piazza San Marco”, 1496

5. Tradi'onal Chinese Depic'on of Space
ArGst Wang Hui’s hand scrolls uGlize tradiGonal Chinese depicGons of space.

6. The Hand Scroll Format

7. TradiGonal Chinese Maps:
Experience of the journey is more important than Scale

9. SpaGal TransiGon Point

10. Mist / TransiGon‐ Kangxi Scroll 7
Working with the tradiGonal Chinese concepGons of shi]ing space,
Wang Hui uGlizes a thick fog to fade out from one scene to the next.
This creaGve means of transiGoning impressed upon the viewer
the percepGon of the passing of Gme.

11. Mist / TransiGon‐ Kangxi Scroll 7
Elements of the landscape and architecture are subtly revealed as they peak out of
the mist, allowing the viewer to gain a sense of traveling over a great distance.
As the mist ulGmately disappears, we then find ourselves in the next town.

12. Mist / TransiGon‐ Kangxi Scroll 3
Wang Hui shows travelers disappearing into the mist as they embark upon a long journey…

13. Mist / TransiGon‐ Kangxi Scroll 3
…they eventually reappear a]er an immeasurable passage of Gme and distance.

14. Expansion of
Qing
Empire
Qianlong Emperor
Reigned 1736‐96
Inaugura'on Portrait of Qianlong (Detail)
Giuseppe Cas'glione (Lang Shining), 1736

16. Qianlong Emperor as the BodhisaDva
Manjusri (Detail), face by
Giuseppe Cas'glione (Lang Shining)

17. Giuseppe
CasGglione,
(Lang Shih‐ning),
1688‐1766
Introduces
The
Vanishing
Point

18. Influence of Western PerspecGve in
Qianlong Scrolls
Qianlong Scroll Number 4 by Xu Yang

19. Qianlong Scroll Number 4 by Xu Yang
More concerned with reproducing how the eye sees than in Kangxi scrolls.
Xu Yang maintains consistent vanishing points throughout duraGon of scroll.

20. Qianlong Scroll Number 6 by Xu Yang
Figures diminish in size and number limiGng informaGon available to viewer.

22. This presentation was complied by
Robert Ponzio
Chair, Fine Arts Department, Oak Hall School, Gainesville
in response to the workshop:
University of Florida - Asia Studies