I did not tell the professor that this was my copy of a painting by Bai Xueshi. I didn't want the comments to be tainted by any biases.
The professor liked how the mountains were depicted but had issues with a few things.
>The painting was trite. The presence of boats was too predictable. The boats were too detailed.
>The thin ribbon representing the foreground made the painting feel cramped.
>The boats on the left impeded the energy emanating from the mist. That space should be left void.
So I painted another version. I really have gotten better in pursuing an understanding of criticisms. I am now willing to retrace my footsteps just to see what differences might show up in the end.
This painting had no boats.
It was deemed too austere now. It lacked a story.
Time to put the incidentals back in. I drew my boat on a small piece of paper now. I could move and attach it to various parts of the painting to find a perfect home before any permanent damage was done by the indelible black ink.
Notice that I had simplified the boat to the bare essentials.
It was suggested that I put a boat to the left of the mountains, in the form suggesting a sail.
The reasoning behind this was a vertical line would harmonize better with the pillars of mountains. This smudge of a line would not block the flow emanating from the mist either; basically leaving the void space untouched.
My left brain however was having great difficulty with this arrangement. The painting had all the distinctively recognizable traits of Guilin landscape, and the Li River in particular. Vessels that float on this waterway included small fishing sampans, bamboo rafts and now convoys of tour boats. Sailboats just weren't common, unless they were used as props for photo shoots.
It is kind of silly to get hung up on a minute detail. The smudge could be anything. It is only a vertical sail if I recognized it as such.
I am my worst enemy.
I am therefore still vacillating on my next move.
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