3. Triadic Composition
三角編成
sankaku
nensai
In both Chinese paintings and practically all of the
Japanese art forms triadic composition is the fundamental manner in which
elements are organised in space. Whilst at first glance paintings and gardens
may appear to be organised in a fairly random manner, a more considered view
shows that there is a coherent relationship between the principal features. The
triangular relationship is founded on scalene triangles, that is, a triangle
where all the angles are different. In gardens this is to be found principally
in the relationships between stones which form the ‘skeleton’ of the garden
layout. Following the practice of setting stones, a dominant or master stone is
set, and then subsequent stones are set according to triadic composition. In gardens stone arrangements are generally
grouped together by the numbers 3, 5, or 7, the numbers are themselves regarded
as being auspicious in their own right. Uneven numbers are seen as being
favourable for many reasons, particularly as they naturally lead toward an
asymmetrical organisation (see previous blog post on Asymmetry). Not only are
individual groups of stones organised in triadic arrangements, but groups of
stones are also relationally organised in this way too. Often the planting
which will accompany stone arrangements also follows a similar pattern of
organisation.
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| Triadic composition. Zuiho-in, Kyoto |
In triadic composition there are three distinct lines of
force, in the vertical, horizontal and diagonal planes. A strong vertical
emphasis is characteristic of both Chinese landscape painting as well as
Japanese gardens. In Japan the vertical line is sometimes referred to as
‘Heaven’, the horizontal as ‘Earth’, and the diagonal as ‘Man”, or ten-chi-jin (天地人, this
symbolic classification is a foundational concept in ikebana or flower arrangement.). Each line of force carries its own
particular energy or emotional weight. The vertical is aspirational, uplifting
and creates a sense of spatial depth in the composition. The horizontal plane
grounds the composition, playing against the energetic thrust of upward
movement creating a sense of stability, even languor or calmness. The diagonal
line is a linking device that draws the two opposing planes into a dynamic
harmony without affecting their respective energetic flow. The diagonal line
facilitates balance by offsetting any feeling of opposition between the
vertical and horizontal. The three forces work together, distinct yet
interdependent on one another.
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| Tenshō Shūbun. Reading in a Bamboo Grove (ca. 1446) . |
In a painting the three forces help to define spatial depth
on what is a two-dimensional surface creating the illusion of depth as well as
providing connectivity between the carious elements, In a garden the triadic
arrangement creates a profound harmony in which the viewer can become an aspect
of the composition itself. Gardens being three-dimensional works allow an
easier facilitation for the viewer to become a part of the composition, as
depth is measurable and not simply a notional/intellectual construct. This
comes clearer when one has the opportunity to experience landscape scenery in
Japan or China. Much of Japanese landscape is composed of steep sided hills or
mountains, sometimes rising directly from flat plains or broad valley bottoms.
Likewise areas such as the Huangshan mountains or the landscapes of Guangxi
province in China which were so inspirational to painters have landscapes that
exhibit strong visual associations with the three forces discussed above. What
both the painters of China and the garden creators of Japan were attempting to
achieve was to represent what they felt was the essence of landscape, by
recreating that essence they could draw the viewer into a deeper, more
intimate, relationship with the emotional and spiritual qualities of landscape
itself. It is a way of reaffirming our place in the universe, being born of
landscape as part of landscape. Both the paintings and gardens remind us we are
interdependent with landscape, not its master.
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| Landscape scenery, Miyagi Prefecture, japan |
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| Huangshan Mts. Anhui province China |
"If
there are a thousand cliffs and myriad valleys, they must be low and high,
clustered and scattered, and not identical. Multiple ranges and layered peaks
must rise and fall, lofty and high, and yet each different.
If not
confused in one way or another, you may spontaneously play whist lost in absorption."
Attributed
to Li Cheng (d.967)[1]
[1] ‘Early Chinese Texts on Painting’.
Susan Bush and Hsio-yen Shih. Hongkong University Press. 2012
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