Chinese Painting
Introduction | Readings and Activities | Relevant Links
An important part of the country's cultural heritage, the traditional Chinese painting is distinguished from Western art in that it is executed on xuan paper (or silk) with the Chinese brush, Chinese ink and mineral and vegetable pigments.
To attain proficiency in this branch of art calls for assiduous exercise, a good control of the brush, and a feel and knowledge of the qualities of xuan paper and Chinese ink.
Before setting a brush to paper, the painter must conceive a well-composed draft in his mind, drawing on his imagination and store of experience, Once he starts to paint, he will normally have to complete the work at one go, denied the possibility of any alteration of wrong strokes
Xuan paper, as discussed in a previous article, is most suitable for Chinese painting. It is of the right texture to allow the writing brush wet with Chinese ink and held in a trained hand, to move freely on it, making strokes varying from dark to light, from solid to hollow. These soon turn out to be human figures, plants and flowers, birds, fish and insects, full of interest and life.
Many a Chinese painter is at the same time a poet and calligrapher. He will often add a poem in his own hand on the painting, which invariably carries an impression of his seal. The resulting piece of work is usually an integrated whole of four branches of Chinese art-- poetry, calligraphy, painting and seal-cutting.
Chinese paintings are divided into two major categories: free hand brushwork (xieyi) and detailed brushwork (gongbi) . The former is characterized by simple and bold strokes intended to represent the exaggerated likenesses of the objects, while the latter by fine brushwork and close attention to detail. Employing different techniques , the two schools try to achieve the same end, the creation of beauty.
Chinese Paintings through the Ages
China's Ancient Theory of Painting
Activity I Two Magpies and A Rabbit
Activity II Chinese Painting
Activity III Masterpieces of 20th-Century Chinese Painting
Activity IV Figure Painting, Landscape Painting and Flower-and-bird Painting
Classic Chinese paintings from Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing Dynasties to the 20-th century: http://www.chinapage.com/paint1.html
Innovations of Chinese painting 1850-1950: http://kaladarshan.arts.ohio-state.edu/exhib/gug/intr/innovintr.html
Chinese painting with different links: http://www.chinascape.org/china/arts/paint/
Introduction plus Yuan, Ming, Qing and certain famous painters: http://www.china-on-site.com/painting/
Learning Chinese painting step by step: http://www.geocities.com:0080/SoHo/Gallery/9679/lesson1.html
Chinese painting in Tang Dynasty plus other links: http://www-st.towson.edu/~snafta1/Painting.html
Chinese painting mediums: http://www.chinattic.com/Culture/Art/Four_arts/Paint/Four_painting_medium/four_painting_medium.html