The Eight Views: from its origin in the Xiao and Xiang Rivers to Hiroshige.

摘要

This thesis focuses upon the artistic and poetic subject of the Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang, from its origin in the Xiao-Xiang region in the Hunan province of China throughout its dispersal in East Asian countries such as Korea and Japan. Certain aesthetics and iconography were retained from the early examples, throughout the Eight Views’ transformation from the eleventh to the nineteenth century. The subject‟s close associations with poetry, atmospheric phenomena and the context of exile were reflected in the imagery of the painting and the accompanying verses. This thesis will discuss the historic, geographic and poetic origins of the Eight Views, along with a thorough investigation into the artistic styles which various East Asian artists employed in their own interpretations of the series. Furthermore, the dispersal and diaspora of the subject throughout East Asia are also investigated in this thesis. The work of Japanese artist Ando Hiroshige will serve as the concluding apogee. The Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang is an important East Asian artistic subject in both poetry and painting and contains many pervasive East Asian aesthetics.