How can we classify traditional Chinese painting？
3 min readChinese brush painting can be classified into three main categories:landscape painting，bird and flower painting，and figure painting.Each classification can be further divided according to painting techniques as follows：
Landscape painting
a.Boneless landscape.Instead of drawing out the outlines，colors are directly applied to creating the form.
b.Monochrome ink landscape.
c.Light umber landscape.Umber and other light shades of colors are added to a landscape done primarily in ink.
d.Detailed with color.Outlines are carefully drawn to create precisely the forms；then rich colors are applied layer by layer.Gold may be added for outlining.
Figure painting
a.Detailed with color.
b.Outlining.
c.Freestyle sketch，or expressionistic drawing.Personal expression is valued in this kind of painting.Whether or not one creates precise forms is not important.
d.Wash.Light shades of colors are applied to a painting outlined in ink.
Bird and flower painting
a.Detailed with color.
b.Outlining.After outlines are drawn in ink，light ink washes are added sparingly for highlighting.
c.Freestyle sketch.
d.Boneless method.
e.Flower-outline and leaf-wash style.Flowers（or a part of the painting）are outlined and filled with colors，while leaves are dotted or dabbed with washes.
What are features of the techniques of the traditional Chinese painting？
The techniques of traditional Chinese painting are divided into meticulous style）and freehand style .The former requires great care，grace，strict composition and fine elaboration.The effect is highly decorative.The latter style generalizes shapes and displays rich brushwork and ink technique.
In traditional Chinese painting，lines play a decisive role in the formation of images；and variations in lines are determined，in the main，by the method of using brushes.Ink occupies an exceedingly important position in traditional Chinese painting，with black being the main color.The use of ink involves processes such as showing the shades and texture of rocks and mountains by light ink strokes and applying dots and coloring.
Images are primary.Brushwork and ink depict images；colors only enrich them. What gives ink-and-wash paintings their unique appeal is their use of darkness or light，density or dilution to present the light and color of various objects.
Special effect is formed through the interaction of water，ink and xuan paper.Even a painting executed a long，long time ago still looks fresh and full of vitality today.
Traditional painting stresses the intrinsic colors of the object，varying the shades on the basis of the intrinsic colors.Its effect grows out of the content and is subordinate to the requirements of the theme.It can exaggerate to the fullest extent and boldly change the intrinsic colors of the object to bring out the theme and express the artist’s ideas or achieve an ideal artistic effect.Color is most used after finishing the basic modeling with brushwork and ink.It involves variations of brightness of the intrinsic colors；contrasting harmonious relations among various intrinsic colors；and the coordination of brushwork and ink techniques.
