The Art of the Mountains exhibition was incredibly beautiful. The large photographs were neatly framed and displayed. There were few pieces that I really liked during my visit. The first piece is called wolf Tooth Mountain of the Altyn-Tagh, 2005” by Li Xueliang. The shot was taken right after a downpour. The scape of the desert looks amazing. There is no sign of life there. There is just this vast desert and sky on the top. I like the contrast between the desert and the sky. The sky is filled with dark clouds but there is ray of sun lighting up the desert. There is balance between the two like hot and cold, good and bad. The harsh shadows in the mountains and background adds a dramatic mood.  

The second piece is called “Huangshan A124: Disciples of Buddha and Fairy Maiden Peak, 2004” by Wang Wusheng. This is a monochromatic photograph of dragon peak in Mount Huang. I’ve always been a fan of black and white photography because it looks moody and mysterious. This piece also gives off the same feeling if not more. I love the high contrast in the photograph. The high contrast has turned the foreground into a silhouette but the detail of the trees and jagged edges of mountains are crisp. The mountains appearing through the clouds look really beautiful. The photo itself looks very calming but also it looks mysterious like a scene from a horror movies.  

The third piece that I like is called “Return to Mountains No. 11, 2011” by Xiao Xuan’an and Yan Changjiang. The picture was taken in southern china. It’s a landscape of a dead forest. It looks like the nature itself is decaying. The birds sitting in the trees add a dark mood to the image. It looks mysterious and the monochromatic color makes it more serious. Feels like something horrific has happened in this place. I love how the hills and the mountains are faded in the background and you can only focus on this dead area that’s covering the foreground. I believe the photographer was trying to portray how modernization have taken over nature.