What are the characteristics of stone mountain carving?

stone mountain carving is an art form between round stone carving and painting, and their modeling languages are often integrated with each other to form a unique way of expression. Compared with round stone sculpture, reliefs are mostly attached to flat, inclined or arc-shaped bottom plates. Its length and width are generally constant, but its thickness must be compressed and deformed, and the outline of the body is like painting. The round sculptures can be seen from all sides, while the reliefs are mainly admired from the front.

Relief is a chiaroscuro illusion caused by compressed body undulations (concave and convex), different turning surfaces and different light-receiving surfaces, perspective relationships, horizontal relationships between front and rear, and lines that express the image's three-dimensionality and sense of space. So from a certain angle, it has a certain illusion like a painting, but it is similar to a round stone sculpture, it just has a corresponding three-dimensional effect.
On its base plate, some props and backgrounds can be made to create a specific atmosphere that round stone sculpture do not have. Therefore, it expresses the scene more freely than the round Stone Carving. The development of stone carving art has made the round stone sculpture relatively independent, while the reliefs are still immersed in the relationship between the background buildings. Round stone sculpture have a strong and real sense of three-dimensionality and touch, and can independently and relatively completely express the complex spiritual world of an individual's life.
The reliefs attached to the bottom make the group life richly connected, embodying the spiritual connotation of unity and order. Since relief is a type of stone carving art, it must first express the characteristics of stone carving art, express the rhythm of the human body and objects, and make it show the whole life. It is not only visual, but also tactile. Secondly, use the advantages of composition theme in painting art to express the content that is not easy to express in round stone sculpture.
Such as continuous plot, interspersed = overlapping of different time and space things, etc. The carving and shaping on the plane make the relief techniques have the characteristics of diversity. The restoration of the perspective of the second space, the virtual writing of the background and the foreground, and the modeling language of the stone carving itself form a kind of relief art that pays more attention to narrative. The difference between relief and round sculpture is only plane and three-dimensional, and the clip space in relief space, while the so-called clip space in the ideal space of painting and the actual space of round sculpture are the restrictions on the clip space.
Relying on a flat background, it undercuts the tactility of the round stone sculpture and focuses on the visual arts, sharing more of the illusionistic approach in painting and perspective. Relief sculptures use the principles of painting more to deal with space and express volume. The difference in technology and form is only its exterior features. The reflected aesthetic image-that is, the inner spirit of the person reflected by the actual existence of the body is completely consistent. This is the principle of stone carving and the principle of relief.