History of Chinese Painting

Chinese scroll painting is unique to Asia and an ancient form of art. Scrolls (made of paper or silk) attached to wood rollers were meant to be enjoyed and celebrated on special occasions. The earliest Chinese scroll, date from the end of the fourth century AD, teach moral lessons to Buddhists. By the seventh century, the continuous scroll form was completed. Chinese scroll painting is an old art, and the idea started with a painted banner meant to hang in graves. Scroll painting has also been practiced in Korea and Japan but has never been adopted by Western artists, who have always followed the tradition of mountain water painting to see on the wall.

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Chinese Bird and Flower Painting History

Flower and bird painting are three main types of Chinese painting and figure and landscaping painting. It developed 1,500 years ago and came to climax in the Song dynasty period about a thousand years ago, although it became more realistic and was not meant to be a replica of nature. The Yuan Dynasty was a time of significant progress with many great artists in painting, calligraphy, poetry, and theater. To express the artist's personality and ideas, different styles of painting were used. Birds and flowers have given symbolic meanings. Chinese bird and flower paintings feature resting or flying birds among branches, leaves, and streaming waters; these paintings reflect the desire of Chinese people for harmony and happiness.

Chinese Brush Painting History

Chinese brush painting is an ancient art it attracts modern artists; it uses easy brush strokes to present the essence of a scene. A differentiating feature of Chinese brush painting is that each brushstroke is a descriptive measure that does not change or correct. Brush painting is called literati painting, Ink and wash painting in Chinese 水墨 also called a brush or water painting. Six thousand years ago, incorporating special techniques, Chinese brush painting unfolded as a special form of art that would leave its mark on the art of the world and have a significant impact on modern art.

Chinese Silk Painting History

Firstly, silk was used as a medium for scrolls; the ink was made of animal glue and pine soot. Over the years, the art has progressed to include mythological creatures depicting religious and human figures. The oldest silk painting was found in tomb paintings in a tomb from the Waring States Parade in Changsha, China. Around 300 AD, silk painting made its way to Japan, and around 1300 AD, artists used color in their work on silk. Silk painting spread to Western Europe in the 12th century, and by the 18th century, the Industrial Revolution had made silk cloth more widely available.

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History of Chinese Ink Painting

During the golden era of the Tang Dynasty art (618-907), ink and wash painting were developed in China by Wang Wei, the first artist to paint existing forms of painting. Wash painting included watercolor painting and was further improved during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) before it was introduced to Japan by Buddhist monks. During the Japanese Muromachi period, it grew in popularity until its peak. Xu Beihong was a Chinese painter known for his Chinese ink paintings of horses and birds. During the Tang and Jin Dynasty periods, Chinese ink painting grew to its maturity.

The traditional subjects presented in ink and wash paintings are the four plant species: orchid, plum blossom, bamboo, and chrysanthemum. These plants represent four seasons in Chinese philosophy, summer, winter, spring, and autumn.

Ancient Chinese Painting History

The time of the Five Empires (907-960) to the Northern Song Period (960-1127) is known as the Golden Age of Chinese Landscape Painting. Using bold strokes and black lines, the artists photographed rolling hills, rivers, and rocks. Others used soft and great brushwork to paint beautiful scenes and rhythm of nature, birds, and animals. Chinese painting is a system with unique features and spirit.

Chinese Art Painting History

Chinese of ancient times mastered the art of making silk from silkworm spun cocoons. They hold the perfect technique secret for hundreds of years because other nations wanted silk, and China became rich. They dyed silk in decorative and colorful patterns. Chinese calligraphy and painting were considered the purest forms of Chinese art. It used a brush made of animal hair and black ink made of pine soot and animal glue. In ancient times painting and writing were done on silk.

Chinese Bamboo Painting History

In ancient China, many Chinese artists began to arise who owned bamboo paintings. Wang Fu (1362-1416) is an artist who was popular for his bamboo painting. Wang was an early Ming painter, calligrapher, landscape expert, and poet who painted branches with calligraphy lines and complex and minimal scenes. Bamboo painters often write poems that go hand in hand with painting and make the image clearer. The finished work can be compared by the work viewer with the calligraphy of the poem and the calligraphy of the painting, as both are usually written with the same brush and reflect a similar mood and state of consciousness.

Chinese Landscape Painting History

In China, ancient landscapes were presented in three-dimensional form. Examples include hill-shaped incense burners made of bronze or ceramic, developed early as the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E. - 220 C.E.). During the Tang Dynasty, two schools of landscape painting emerged. One, practiced by the court painter Li Sixun ( 653–718) and his son Li Zhaod. Early paintings are of the sixth century. Traditional painting is not considered an independent form of art of China, but it is part of the brush art in which poetry, calligraphy, and painting are included in the same discipline. By people of aristocrats and scholar-officials of this tradition, it is usually taught and mastered. Generally, painting in China is traditionally sketched using black ink on white paper or silk.

Chinese Reverse Paintings on Glass History

During the Edo period (1603-1868), it was introduced as an import from China to Japan. It started as a technique used for religious purposes in medieval Europe, which was later spread to Asia. In Chinese Reverse Paintings, an image is painted on glass to see from the other side. 

Chinese Watercolor Painting History

Traditional Chinese watercolors are mineral and vegetable oils mixed like some animal glue. They are used in the same way as Western watercolors are used in western art by adding water in the same way, and after painting, they are fine on rice paper. However, you don't have to create your colors. The main feature of Chinese watercolor painting is its lightness and transparency, and these are all about the vegetable and mineral colors. Pure colors will be just as good in brilliance. The quality of the paint is also affected by the glue used, its originality, and it's color. The watercolor painting not only reproduces the true colors of nature but rather grasps an emotion or atmosphere. Acrylic paint was the most important painting invention of the 20th century.