Traditional Chinese Painting
4 min readPainting and calligraphy are regarded as two treasured arts in China.Together with qin（ancient musical instrument）and qi（chess），they formed the four skills for a learned scholar to pursue in ancient China.They were also held as a good exercise totemper Traditionalchinese painting is the art of painting on a pice of Xuan paper or silk with a chinese brush that was soaked with black ink or colored pigments.It is regarded as one of the three”ouintessence of Chinese culture”，the other two being traditional Chinese medicine and Beijing Opera.Over the centuries，the practice of countless artists has made this traditional Chinese painting what it is now-an art subdivided into a multitude of schools all with some traits in common.
The character of Chinese painting is closely bound up with the nature of the medium.The basic material is ink，but Chinese ink is a wonderful substance capable of an immense range and an extraordinary beauty of tone.The painter uses a pointed-tipped brush made of the hair of goats，deer，or wolves set in a shaft of banboo.He paints on a length of silk or a sheet of paper，the surface of which is absorbent，allowing no erasure or correction.color is sometimes added to make the ettect more true to lite，but the ink-crawing remains almost always the touncation of the design.color is not a torma！element in the design as in Mestern art.
Chinese paintings are usually in the form of hanging pictures or of horizontal scrolls，in both cases normally kept rolled up.The latter paintings，often of great length，are unrolled bit by bit and enjoyed as a reader enjoys reading a manuscript.There is no fixed or standard viewpoint or perspective.Chinese painting is far less concerned with notions of symmetry，balance and proportion than its European counterpart.Because it lacks a single focal point，Chinese artists are free to paint on long strips of paper（or silk）and can compose pieces of amazing complexity in a rather comic book-like manner.Artists could paint a whole chain of pictures to depict continuous scenery.Many pictures include objects that are both far away and near，but they are depicted as being of the same size.It is more likely that the artists were trying to paint life exactly as they saw it.That is，people view the world from constantly changing angles and painting，like the eye，cannot be restricted to a single perspective.
Chinese technique admits of no correction，and the artist must，therefore，know beforehand what he intends to do.He closely observes and stores his observations in his memory.He conceives his design，and having completed the mental image of what he intends to paint，he transfersit swiftly and with sure strokes to the silk.It is said that in a master’s work the idea is present even where the brush has ot passed.This however demands confidencecpeed and a mstery of technioe acouired only be 1one practice In terms of the mode of expression，traditional chinese paintings fall into two categories:the xieyi（literally”painting the feeling”）school，marked by exaggeration of forn and liberal use of ink；and the gongbi（or”meticulous brushwork”）school，baracteriged by srict and deailed representation af the sb iect In subject matter，the most popular ones have been landscapes，human figures，animals，fishes，birds and flowers-the last two being frequently conbined as”flower and bird painting”.Figure painting，which reached maturity during the Warring States Period，flourished against a Confucian background，illustrating moralistic themes.From the Han dynasty to the end of the Tang dynasty，the human figure occupied the dominant position in Chinese painting，as it did in pre-modern European art.
Landscape painting is called Shanshui iua in Chinese.”Shanshui”means mountains and rivers，which stand for nature.Landscape painting is thus called because mountain and water occupy the most important place in a piece of landscape painting，while non-essential elements of landscape and people are either omitted or painted as embellishment.Nature is predominant，and human beings are only part of it.This concept of man’s relationship with nature was especially esecuted in the paintings of the Song dynasty，which has greatly nfluenced later landscane painters n to the present The symbolismused in Chinese landscape painting often puzles the Western eyes.Montains，rivers，plants，animals，birds，flowers，etc.，can all be chosen for their traditional association as much as for their inherent beauty.The pine，for example，represents uprightness and immortality.It is one of the three plants which are generally called the”three friends of winter”，the other two being bamboo and plums.The orchid a modest flower.is often identified with the hi principles of the unassertie scholar or artist Another mich depicted group of flowers are the”flowers of the four seasons”.They are the peony，standing for riches and honors；the lotus，coming out of the mire without being smeared，for purity；the chrysanthemum，for elegance，righteousness and longevity；and the prunes，for bravery.The prunes are also regarded as the messenger of spring.The bird crane is believed to live a long life.The fish，pronounced yu in Chinese，stands for plenty.
Last but not least，Chinese painting is inseparably associated with literature and other arts，such as poetry and calligraphy.The painter’s carefully placed signature，inscription（often a poem）and seals are an integral part of the composition.Many of the painters were poets；some，like Wang Wei，were equally distinguished in both arts.Consequently a painter means more to the Chinese than to the Westerners.
