Requirement for Chinese Painter
1 min readMuch skill is required of the Chinese painter，who must wield the soft brush with strength and dexterity to create a wide variety of lines-thick，thin，dense，light，long，short，dry，wet，etc.Depending on his skills，he might specialize in detailed and delicate line drawing（Gongbi）or abstract，impressionistic（Xieyi）paintings.
Line drawing is the basic training of a painter，who must learn it well before moving on to the delicate detalils of realistic scenes or the more abstract spirit of impressionism.Another special skill worthy of mention is painting with fingers instead of a brush，which creates a very dlifferent effect.
No matter what the subject or the style，traditional Chinese painting should be infused with imagination and soul.A traditional story that captures the Chinese view of painting tells about the establishment of a royal college of painting during the reign of Emperor Huizong.
Examinations were held to recruit the best painters.Examinees were asked to draw a picture that reflected the joy of people who had just returned from a spring outing，an outing that had been so pleasant that even the horseshoes seemed fragrant.Many endeavored to depict this bright scene but only one work was chosen；the painter simply drew a horses hoof followed by butterftlies which were in graceful flight.This painter had managed to capture the essential spirit and beauty of the scene.
