Mountains of Heaven 1

Wesley Tongson was inspired by traditional Chinese painting techniques in his large-scale landscapes. As a student of Buddhism, Daoism, and Christianity, he examined the spirituality of the natural world to depict otherworldly utopias. With a strong admiration for the past, he searched for new directions in his practice, as apparent in painting with his fingers and his use of splash color treatment. In the 1990s, when he painted this work, he often called himself a “Mountainscape Teacher” (Shandou Laoshi) and, in his later years, signed his paintings as “Mountain Taoist” (Shandou Daoren). His Mountains of Heaven Zen series visualizes meditative imagery, which, according to the artist, “flows from a world beyond.”

When he was fifteen, Tongson was diagnosed with schizophrenia, which shaped both his life and artistic vision. His art became a tool to manage his struggles with his mental health and sexual identity.