Introduction to Chinese Paintings

Chinese paintings, despite being as artistic as western paintings, have a unique character of their own. Usual Chinese painting rarely follows the principles of realistic portrayal or focus on the fundamental perception. This allows the painter the freedom of artistic perception, and allows him to adopt a way of expression that expresses his personal feeling in a better manner. Chinese painting has captivated the finest forms of various arts including poetry, seal engraving and calligraphy. It is quite habitual for Chinese to regard an excellent painting as a fine poem and vice versa. That's how the term 'poetry in painting and painting in poetry ' has evolved. It is not surprising to learn that, at one time, lots of great poets were great artists and calligraphers too. Apart from helping us to appreciate the painter's emotions and thoughts, the writings on the paintings also add a decorative value to the paintings. Depending on their format, Chinese paintings may be classified in four categories: scrolls, screens, murals and albums plus fans. Moreover, they often have a superb background that enhances their visual effect. When talking of techniques, Chinese paintings can mainly be classified among two categories: paintings that use freehand brushwork, and those carried out minutely in a pragmatic style.

 When classifying these according to the subject matter, we can divide these paintings into landscapes, figures, flowers, buildings, animals, birds, fish and insects. The brush techniques that are highlighted in these paintings incorporate the dotted method, line and texture and the use of color. It may be too difficult to understand and value Chinese paintings in the absence of a thorough understanding of the characteristic styles prevalent during the historically different periods. For example, economic progress during the rule of Tang family from 618 to 907 AD led to paintings in an elegant style. Subsequently, during the rule of the Song family from 960 to 1279 AD, painters preferred painting in an abstract style, implying meanings instead of direct expressions. Painting skills developed significantly in that time.

It was during the rule of the Ming and Qing, lasting till 1911, that painters started using their art as a means of giving expression to their thoughts and feelings. The paintings of that era display a spirited boldness with little consideration for thoroughness. Paintings of that time reached artistic perfection, and this art form remained alive for a long time, leading to near stagnation. During the early part of the last century, many painters from Beijing, Guangzhou, Nanjing and Hangzhou started challenging the traditional Chinese style of painting and introduced novel art ideas from western countries, and established art schools to train artists. Fortunately, their efforts bore fruit. Subsequently, many of these painters formed the backbone of Chinese Art of Painting. Some of them are active even now.