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Fan Kuan's "Travelers among the Mountains and Streams," painted sometime in the early eleventh century CE, is a classic example of a Chinese landscape. The title is somewhat ironic, as the travelers that are the supposed subject of the painting are incredibly overshadowed by the mountains themselves. There is an extreme use of vertical line in the painting, with the mountain appearing as a pillar of rock that takes up most of the painting. Near the mountain's base, the horizontal lines of the mist layer and the path beneath both serve to break up the painting to some degree, but the overall effect is the dominance of nature over the rather insignificant and seemingly futile efforts of mankind. Kuan's use of shadow is used to create the illusion of three-dimensionality, but the lack of color and the regularity of the lines make the painting more symbolic and representational than it is realistic.

Not surprisingly, Caspar David Friedrich's "Morning Mist in the Mountains" from 1808 is a markedly different work of art. His approach is definitely more realistic, and any symbolism in the painting is found strictly in the eye of the beholder. There is also no overt use of line in this painting, but rather the entire image is softened and blurred by the mists covering the mountain. The mountain, too, is seen from a much closer perspective, which actually serves to make it less dominating and forthright as its boundaries cannot be seen -- the mountain forms the entire background, rather than being the most prominent feature of it. In addition, the Western use of perspective and foreshortening is definitely visible in this painting whereas it is decidedly lacking in Kuan's landscape. The most prominent formal aspect of Friedrich's "Morning Mist in the Mountains" is the contrast between the trees and the mist that enshrouds them; these trees represent the only dark valued objects and are also the only parts of the painting that make use of definite lines, making them stand out quite prominently among the white mists and the blurred swathe of mountain and air the fills the painting.

Despite the differences in these two paintings, however, there are also some notable similarities. Though there are no human figures in Friedrich's paintings, the sheer scope of nature depicted could be see as a comment on human insignificance. Kuan's "Travelers among the Mountains and Streams" is much more explicit in delivering this message, but it can be seen in both paintings. Likewise, the verticality is much more subdued in Friedrich's painting, but it is interesting to note that both landscapes place their emphasis on vertical line, rather than on the horizontal of the horizon.