Unity of Heaven and Humanity

The Chinese philosophical concept 天人合一 (Tiān Rén Hé Yī) refers to the harmony between human beings and the natural world.

During a visit to China, I encountered the ancient Chinese expression Unity of Heaven and Humanity. The idea stayed with me for six months before I began developing these drawings.

The series explores the relationship between people and nature through the combination of human figures and traditional Chinese landscapes. Mountains, rivers, and trees become part of the figures, bringing portraiture and landscape into a single composition.

Each drawing is made with pencil on mulberry paper purchased in China. The fibrous surface makes erasing difficult, requiring careful and decisive marks. The process combines detailed observation, controlled drawing, and decisions made as the composition develops.

The nine drawings reflect an interest in Chinese philosophy, traditional imagery, and new ways of constructing the human figure.