Learning About Chinese Paintings

Calligraphy and painting were two of the most appreciated art forms in antediluvian China. Calligraphy was considered to be the most eminent and most complete form of painting. The annals of painting in China go back to the 2nd century BCE. In the earliest era, painting and writing were made out on silk, until paper was later invented during the 1st century CE.

Chinese art, and in particular, Chinese painting is highly regarded around the world. Chinese painting can be retraced 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 earlier than that.

According to theme topic, there are two foremost categories of Chinese painting: landscapes, character paintings and flower-and-bird paintings. In traditional Chinese painting, Chinese landscape artwork embodies a sizable collection, depicting nature, particularly mountains and bodies of water. Landscapes have traditionally been the favorite of the Chinese because they manifest the poetry characteristic in nature. Consequently, many esteemed paintings are landscapes.

The most popularly known 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 necessary element for Chinese painting. The brush should be strong and flexible. 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 prevent curling. The second one is made from fox or deer sable fibers, which are very durable, and is inclined 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. Different types of shades are used to express 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 commonly used. Otherwise, Chinese ink is ideal if ink stick or ink stone are inaccessible.

• Paper: The most generally used paper is Xuan paper, which is made of sandalwood bark. This is highly absorbent, so the color or ink disperses the moment the brush stroke is put down. The second most popular is Mian paper.

• Color: The earliest Chinese paintings employed Mo, a kind of indigenous ink, to produce monochromatic representations of nature or day-to-day life. Made of pine soot, mo is combined with water to get different shades for expressing desired layers or color in a painting.

Chinese painting is called shui-mo-hua. Shui-mo is the mix of shui (water) and mo. There are two types of Chinese painting. They are gong-bi or detailed style, and xie-yi or freehand style. The latter is the most popular, not only since the objects are depicted with just a few strokes, but also because shapes and sprites are drawn by simple curves and natural ink. Many ancient poets and students used xie-yi paintings to give tongue to their religious anguish.

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Harold Mitschka Is a researcher and writer working for www.tibetana.com, where you can get all the best Chinese art and artifacts at the best prices. Visit us for all your Chinese artifact needs.

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