Chinese Painting

Chinese calligraphy and painting were considered as 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 scroll painting is unique to Asia and represent an ancient form of fine art.

There are two main painting techniques in Chinese: Gongbi means working pen is a meticulous style, rich in color and detailed brush strokes. Xieyi means freehand is a looser style of painting and usually used in landscapes.

In ancient China, many Chinese artists began to arise who owned bamboo paintings. Wang Fu (1362-1416) is an artist who was famous 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.  During the Ming dynasty, Chinese painting flourished with the earlier Song dynasty and Yuan dynasty successes. The Yuan dynasty was a time of significant progress in the fields of painting, calligraphy. Acrylic paint was the most important painting invention of the 20th century. Flower and bird painting are the main types of traditional Chinese painting, figure painting, and landscape 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.

Chinese Landscape Painting

In China, ancient Chinese landscape paintings were presented in three-dimensional form. Early Chinese landscape paintings are of the sixth century. 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.

Dong Qichang was a famous Chinese landscape painter, calligrapher, theorist, and politician who lived a controversial life. During the Ming dynasty, Wen Zhengming was a Chinese painter, calligrapher, and poet. He was considered one of the four masters of Ming painting. Fan Kuan was a Chinese landscape painter of the Song dynasty. The Travelers among Mountains and Streams, a large hanging scroll, is Fan Kuan's most famous work. Gu Kaizhi was a painter of the Eastern Jin dynasty; he was considered the founder of traditional Chinese painting. Wu Daozi was a Chinese painter of the Tang dynasty. British art historian Michael Sullivan called him one of the masters of the seventh century. Qi Baishi was a Chinese painter known for the playful style of his work. Finally, Shen Zhou was a Chinese painter, poet, and calligrapher. He was known as the founder of Wu School.

Chinese Brush Painting

Chinese brush painting is an ancient art it attracts modern artists; it uses easy brush strokes to present the essence of a scene. Traditional painting is not considered an independent form of art in China. Still, it is part of the brush art in which poetry, calligraphy, and artwork are included in the same discipline.

Chinese Dragon Painting

Since ancient times dragon artwork has been trendy in China. The dragon painting has been presented throughout Chinese history. Because they are considered spiritual in Chinese culture, they are popular among religious people. Chinese temples are full of dragon artworks, including paintings, ornaments, and sculptures.

Chinese Ink and Wash 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 artwork. 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.