Why did Xia Gui hide parts of landscapes in mist or haze?

Xia Gui, a master of the Ma-Xia school, utilized mist and haze as a deliberate artistic technique to evoke a sense of limitless space and a vast atmospheric void. By obscuring transitions and hiding certain forms within these misty expanses, he created compositions where only key elements—such as mountain peaks or twisted trees—emerge with dramatic effect.123

This approach served several aesthetic and philosophical purposes:

• Atmospheric Depth: The use of subtle ink washes to render mist allowed Xia to suggest distance and space, creating a poignant, romantic quality in his landscapes.32
• Simplicity and Focus: By reducing fine-drawn detail and allowing parts of the landscape to "sink" into the haze, he added an element of simplicity to his work, setting his style apart from the more mannered, densely constructed compositions of his contemporaries.32
• Artistic Inspiration: Critics have noted that in his use of mist and reduced modeling, Xia appeared to learn from the "ink-play" techniques of the literati painters, such as Mi Youren, which emphasized spontaneity and intuitive expression over rigid academic detail.3