10 Breathtaking Mountain Paintings: Seeing the Sublime

“The din of the dusty world and
the locked-in-ness of human habitations,
are what human nature abhors,
contrarily, the haze, mist, and mountain spirits,
are what human nature seeks,
yet can rarely find.”

These words were written by Guo Xi (ca. 1000–1090) in his celebrated treatise, Mountains and Waters, on the nature of mountain paintings. Guo is heralded as one of the greatest landscape mountain painters of the Northern Song Dynasty (ca. 960–1127). Nearly nine centuries later, Guo Xi’s insights still hold relevance.

In today’s urban landscape, with towering concrete structures, vibrant LED lights, and constant traffic, our disconnection from nature is more apparent than in Guo’s time. Yet, we continue to echo his message that our innate longing for the outdoors persists.

Mountains held profound significance for ancient Chinese culture. Seen as repositories of cosmic forces and philosophical insights, mountains symbolized a journey of self-discovery. Artists and scholars aimed for spiritual communion with their majestic landscapes—lofty peaks, dense forests, cascading waterfalls, and meandering streams.

This article delves into 10 mountain paintings from ancient masters to contemporary artists. These artworks encapsulate not just sublime aesthetics but also time-tested sagacity about the world and the greater cosmos.

1. To ramble and dwell—every step, a shifting view

Guo Xi emphasized the significance of evoking a sense of exploring the landscape within a mountain painting. Unlike Western landscapes that adopt a fixed perspective, traditional Chinese mountain paintings strive to infuse a sense of fluidity, inviting the viewer to journey through the mountains.

“It’s been said: there are landscapes one can walk through,
landscapes which can be gazed upon,
landscapes in which one may ramble,
landscapes in which one may dwell…” 
—Guo Xi, The Lofty Message of Forests and Streams

This pursuit of creating a space for viewers to wander and linger in might explain why Guo departed from fixed perspectives. He introduced what he termed the “angle of totality,” a collection of inventive methods enabling multiple perspectives.

Guo elaborated, “The mountain’s essence lies in wandering. From up close, it appears one way; from a few miles away, it takes on another form; from several tens of miles, it transforms again. At each distance, its shape alters. This is what we term: “the mountain changes its form with each step’.”
—Guo Xi, The Lofty Message of Forests and Streams

北宋郭熙《早春圖》
Title: Early Spring, c.1072, Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127)
Painter: Guo Xi (c.1020 – c. 1090)
Provenance: National Palace Museum, Taiwan
Medium: ink and color on silk
Size: 28.6h x 36.5w cm

Early Spring is one of Guo Xi’s most renowned mountain paintings. Intriguingly, the soft, flowing mist, depicted by leaving blank spaces, breathes energy into the artwork. This swirling mist never fully unveils the mountain’s grandeur; it perpetually conceals one part while revealing another. Consequently, the landscape perpetually shifts and transforms.

We can assume that Guo spent an extensive amount of time among the mountains, imprinting their shapes into memory. Only an artist with immense patience and acute observation could capture every hidden nook and cranny, unveiling the mountain’s distinctive form as the dancing clouds nonchalantly part and converge in their ever-changing panorama.

Simultaneously, the veiled portions of the mountains spur the imagination, allowing viewers to actively engage by filling in the gaps. The painting thus becomes a collaboration between the artist and the viewer, offering room for personal interpretation and contemplation.

In a poem from the Tang Dynasty(ca. 618–907), famed poet Wang Wei wrote: “I travel to where the water ends, and sit and watch the rising clouds.” Guo’s painting beckons viewers to step into the scene, mirroring Wang Wei’s words. By acquainting oneself with the crooked pines and the majestic peaks veiled by the clouds, one might discover solace and a fresh understanding of the world’s mysteries.

Title: Beyond the Peaks, 2023
Painter: Hou Xian Tang
Medium: ink on washi paper
Size: 72h x 95w cm

Hou Xiantang’s ink mountain painting unfolds a captivating scene, drawing our gaze to an imposing mountain adorned with layered peaks and lively pines. Amid this grandeur, two diminutive figures perch strategically on a cliff summit adjacent to the highest peak, inviting discovery.

Nestled discreetly within the foothills is a cottage. The winding path ascending toward the mountain’s peak suggests a connection to this hidden dwelling, encouraging viewers to immerse themselves in the mountain’s embrace—a transformative journey that parallels the ascent towards enlightenment.

In the distance, mountain ranges delicately painted in serene azure hues vanish into ethereal clouds, stretching endlessly into the faraway horizon. The deliberate contrast in scale, juxtaposing humble human figures against the vastness of this panoramic view, evokes a sublime sense of cosmic expanse.

2. The vista of the immaterial: painting the invisible

Have you ever gazed upon a mountain landscape so awe-inspiring that it sweeps away your worries, immersing you fully in the moment? For that brief span, it feels as if nothing else exists beyond you and the natural world—it’s a moment where your heartbeat synchronizes with the wind, water, and the chorus of birdsong. Ancient Chinese artists believed that these profound emotions, though unseen, could be conjured by landscape mountain paintings just as potently as by a real landscape.

In this artistic tradition, mountain paintings transcend mere depictions of scenery to become gateways into the infinite. Echoing philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s sentiment, they resemble a deep geological stratum, an intangible presence lurking behind certain living entities.

Let’s now delve into the beauty of both ancient and contemporary paintings, where each brushstroke carries the wisdom of ages, inviting us to contemplate the mysteries of existence and seek solace in the expansive landscapes of the mountains.

五代十國 董源《洞天山堂》
Title: Dongtian Mountain Hall, Five Dynasties (907-960)
Painter: Dong Yuan (c. 934(?) – c. 962)
Provenance: National Palace Museum, Taiwan
Medium: ink and color on silk
Size: 183.2h x 121.2w cm

Majestic and expansive, Dong Yuan’s Dongtian (Caved Paradise) Mountain Hall unfolds a hidden paradise. A significant portion of the canvas is devoted to portraying towering peaks piercing the clouds. The presence of mist imbues the scene with an air of mystery that merges into the landscape.

Amid this mist, partially concealed by lush trees, mountain pavilions faintly emerge, adding depth and elevation to the entire vista. Notably, in the lower right corner, clusters of tourists, depicted diminutively, marvel at the distant beauty, epitomizing the concept of discovering a hidden paradise in a cave.

In contrast to Western paintings, which emphasize light, shadow, and color, Dongtian Mountain Hall centers on expressionism. Beyond its portrayal of towering mountains, lush trees, ethereal pavilions, and billowing clouds, the artwork evokes a profound sense of beauty, mystery, and the unseen forces of nature—a manifestation of the artist’s refined state of mind.

Dong lived during the tumultuous Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907–979), which was marked by constant political upheavals and war. Against this backdrop of instability, Dongtian Mountain Hall reflects the artist’s yearning for a serene life—a life intertwined with the enduring strength and tranquility of the majestic northern mountains, offering solace amid the storms of a turbulent era.

Title: A Majestic Vista, 2019
Painter: Hou Xiantang
Medium: ink on washi paper
Size: 92h x 72w cm

Hou Xiantang’s A Majestic Vista reveals a panorama of towering mountains shrouded in mist, stretching as far as the eye can see. Cascading waterfalls, vibrant pine trees in the foreground, and an otherworldly mist infuse the canvas with life, bringing an aura of enchantment. Amid the grandeur of this mountain slope, a tiny pavilion evokes a sense of longing.

Hou’s distinctive M-strokes craft majestic, rounded mountain peaks layered with varying shades of ink, transporting every viewer into a dreamscape where the lines blur the tangible and the fantastical.

五代十國 巨然《湖山春曉圖》
Title: Mountains and Lake in a Spring Dawn, Five Dynasties (907 to 960)
Painter: Juran (c. n/a)
Provenance: uncertain
Medium: ink and color on silk
Size: 223h x 87w cm

In Juran’s Mountains and Lake in a Spring Dawn, the mountains resemble the swirling rapids of a rushing river, exuding a sense of spontaneity. Those engrossed in studying the uniquely shaped rocks and distinct mountain faces might revel in the dynamic patterns that create unexpected twists and turns.

The ancient Chinese reverence for mountains stemmed from the belief that these natural formations were homes to immortal beings. Like many painter-monks, Juran sought spiritual enlightenment by observing these mountains.

While the figures depicted in Juran’s painting are ordinary mortals, their contentment and tranquility as they traverse mountain paths, fish, and lounge amid the trickling waters and gentle breezes create an impression of having transcended worldly troubles, living a leisurely life, just like immortals would.

Title: Whimsical Voyage, 2018
Painter: Hou Xiantang
Medium: ink on washi paper
Size: 92h x 72w cm

In Hou Xiantang’s Whimsical Voyage, the mountain peaks bask in the reddish glow of the sunset, yet the dazzling sunset itself remains absent from the painting, inviting viewers to imagine it. Perhaps the small figure reclining in the rowboat is doing just that—gazing upward, lost in the enchantment of nature’s beauty.

Without the boat’s contrast, one might mistake the small foreground mountains for a cluster of boulders against the backdrop of the towering red peaks.

The mist enveloping the majestic mountains acts as a mysterious, almost magical border. A flock of birds emerges from the treetops, soaring into the mist, evoking a sense of curiosity about the hidden secrets held by the mountains.

3. The beauty of emptiness

You might be familiar with the saying “less is more,” but what about “none is most”? This seemingly paradoxical idea lies at the heart of traditional Chinese paintings, which are characterized by the deliberate use of negative space. The concept of liubai, or “leaving blank space,” represents an artful use of emptiness, a technique that enriches and harmonizes the artwork.

In fact, “emptiness” is a central theme in Daoism, attributed to the teachings of the revered sage Lao Tzu. The foundational Daoist text, the Dao De Jing, emphasizes the profound significance and boundless power of emptiness. Lao Tzu illustrates this idea by stating, “Without the void in the hub, the wheel would not turn; without the void in the clay, the vase would not contain water.”

Despite a world filled with material objects, it’s the unseen air that sustains life. A song, though stirring, requires moments of silence to convey emotions fully. Punctuation in language determines coherence and meaning in communication. Similarly, the use of negative space in these mountain paintings prompts imagination and contemplation.

This void infuses a painting with a rhythmic breath, creating a delicate balance between being and non-being, reality and illusion.

南宋 梁楷《雪景山水圖》
Title: Snowy Landscape, Southern Song (1127–1279)
Painter: Liang Kai (c. 1140-1210)
Provenance: Tokyo National Museum
Medium: ink and color on silk
Size: 111.3h x 49.7w cm

In Liang Kai’s Snowy Landscape, two men on sturdy horses journey through snow-covered terrain against a backdrop of majestic mountains.

Within this frozen expanse, there is but a sparse patch of vegetation on the lower mountain peak and a crooked tree near the water. Despite the vast emptiness, one can’t help but linger before this paradoxical scene, contemplating its heavy emptiness.

The empty spaces not only depict the thick layer of snow blanketing the land but also convey a sense of desolation. Simultaneously, these negative spaces allow the travelers’ presence to stand out without overpowering the composition.

Title: Waterfalls and Trees, 2019
Painter: Hou Xiantang
Medium: ink on washi paper
Size: 95h x 72w cm

Hou Xiantang’s Waterfalls and Trees exemplifies an artist’s ability to craft substance from nothingness.

In traditional ink paintings, there’s actually no use of white paint. Therefore, what appears as white—the sky, clouds, and waterfalls—is actually achieved by filling the space around it, leaving the desired area blank.

In this awe-inspiring composition, a waterfall framed by ethereal mountains cascades in layered torrents from the distant horizon. The overall balance of the mountain scene deftly marries the serenity of white mist and clouds, creating an entrancing equilibrium that elevates the scene into a kinetic yet tranquil tapestry.

南宋 李唐《松湖釣隱圖》
Title: Reclusively Fishing in a Lake Among Pines, Southern Song (1127–1279)
Painter: Li Tang (c. 1050-1130)
Provenance: National Palace Museum, Taiwan
Medium: ink and color on silk
Size: 46h x 67.8w cm

In Li Tang’s Reclusively Fishing in a Lake Among Pines, about three-quarters of the round fan surface remains empty. Yet, it’s precisely this expensive emptiness, adorned by a barely discernible mountain silhouette in the distance, that creates a sought-after tranquility.

Positioned on a small boat in the bottom right corner is a fisherman, casting his line and waiting leisurely. Despite his minimalistic appearance amid the vast landscape, the man appears serene and content. The presence of this diminutive human figure eloquently communicates a yearned-for repose, evoking a sense of contentment that emerges when one transcends worldly concerns and learns to let go of daily concerns.

Title: Evergreen, 2019
Painter: Hou Xiantang
Medium: ink on washi paper
Size: 95H X 72W cm

In Evergreen, Hou Xiantang skillfully uses negative space to portray a dense fog settled at the mountain’s base, shrouding both the water’s surface and the boundary between sky and lake. This ambiguity invites viewers to envision the unseen landscape.

The world within Hou’s painting appears tranquil and hushed, subdued by the fog, except for the cascading waterfall on the mountainside and the flock of birds near a tree. Amid this serene scene, the solitary waterside pavilion is the only sign of humans ever roaming these mountains.