Learning About Chinese Paintings
Article by Syahrul Azlan Idris
Calligraphy and painting were two of the most prized art forms in ancient China. Calligraphy was believed to be the most eminent and most complete form of painting. The history of painting in China dates back to the 2nd century BCE. In the earliest times, painting and writing were made out on silk, till paper was later formulated during the 1st century CE.Chinese art, and in particular, Chinese painting is greatly treasured around the globe. Chinese painting can be traced to as far back as six thousand years ago in the Neolithic Age when the Chinese have begun utilizing brushes in their paintings. Chinese art dates back even sooner than that.
According to theme topic, Chinese paintings can be categorized as landscapes, character paintings and flower - and - bird paintings. In typical Chinese painting, Chinese landscape artwork embodies a sizable collection, depicting nature, particularly mountains and bodies of water. Landscapes have traditionally been the choice of the Chinese because they manifest the poetry characteristic in nature. Accordingly, many esteemed paintings are landscapes.
The most popularly recognized form of Chinese art is "Water - ink" painting, where water - ink is the medium. Some of the vital things required for the Chinese painting include: paper, brush, ink or ink stick, ink stone, and color.
* Brush: The Chinese brush is a mandatory tool for Chinese painting. The brush should be sturdy and pliable. Two types of brushes are used. The softer brush is made from white sheep hair. This brush should be wet first, and then dried to deter curling. The latter one is fabricated from fox or deer sable fibers, which are very durable, and tend to paint better. The procedure the brush is used depends on the varied features of brush strokes one wants to obtain, such as weight, lightness, gracefulness, ruggedness, firmness, and fullness. Various types of shades are used to impart space, texture, or depth.
* Ink Stick: There are three types of Ink Stick: resin soot,! lacquer soot, and tung - oil soot. Of the three, tung - oil soot is the most traditionally used. Otherwise, Chinese ink is foolproof if ink stick or ink stone are ineffectual.
* Paper: The most generally used paper is Xuan paper, which is fabricated of sandalwood bark. This is exceptionally water retentive, so the color or ink diffuses the second the brush stroke is laid. The second most well-known is Mian paper.
* Color: The most former Chinese paintings used Mo, a kind of indigenous ink, to devise monochromatic representations of nature or day - to - day life. Fabricated out of pine soot, mo is combined with water to get unique shades for telling appropriate layers or color in a painting.
Chinese painting is called shui - mo - hua. Shui - mo is the combination of shui ( water ) and mo. There are two types of Chinese painting. They are: ( 1 ) gong - bi or meticulous style, and ( 2 ) xie - yi or freehand style. The second is the most popular, not only because the objects are drawn with just a few strokes, but also because shapes and sprites are drawn by simple curves and natural ink. Many ancient poets and scholars used xie - yi paintings to express their spiritual angst.
Chinese Painting - mounting
How to Read Chinese Paintings (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
The Chinese often use the expression du hua, "to read a painting," in connection with their study and appreciation of such works. This volume closely "reads" thirty-six masterpieces of Chinese painting from the encyclopedic collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in order to reveal the major characteristics and themes of this rich pictorial tradition. The book examines multiple layers of meaning—style, technique, symbolism, past traditions, and the artist's personal circumstances—through accessible texts and numerous large color details. A dynastic chronology, map, and list of further readings supplement the text.
Spanning a thousand years of Chinese art, these landscapes, flowers, birds, figures, religious subjects, and calligraphies illuminate the main goal of every Chinese artist: to capture not only the outer appearance of a subject but also its inner essence.
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