Chinese art is among the oldest traditions that have continued to this day. China has a reoccurring theme of various forms of art, such as jade, pottery, and bronze castings along with painting, poetry, calligraphy, sculpture, and architecture. Taoism and Confucianism philosophies are native to China’s history and the Chinese art has influenced them deeply.
Speaking of the Chinese paintings, they mostly reflect styles and ethnicities in different characters, birds, flowers, and landscape painting themes. And unlike western paintings, Chinese paintings are associated with water-based methods, instead of oils or acrylics. Below is a highlight of the three things you did not know about Chinese painting.
Chinese Ink and Wash Painting
Most Chinese artworks in the collections of top collectors like John Dodelande show that ink and brush painting surrounded the history, traditions, art, and style. The ink and wash painting was developed during the Tang Dynasty by Wei We. This type of painting involved the use of pure ink and tools that resembled those used in Chinese calligraphy.
It became more popular due to its intricate gradation, particularly in the use of gray, white, black, and brushstrokes variations. When using this painting method, the Chinese artists heavily relied on four subjects, which are orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, and plum blossom. The four plants highlight the philosophy of Taoism and also represented the four seasons. The philosophy of Taoism stresses harmony with nature.
Tang Landscape Painting
The landscape is among the representative types of Chinese art. It came to be during the Tang Age and people started recognizing landscape painting customs around the 8th century. Later, the concept surpassed the Occident quaint naturalism.
The Chinese artists used the term landscape to indicate mountains and water. However, they later refined the concepts using various ideas like floating waters, still waters, and high mountains. Furthermore, the Taoist advisors who stressed the need for secret calm and spiritual identification influenced the artists to incorporate spirituality and feelings in their water and mountain landscape paintings.
Color in Chinese Painting
Artists never insisted on color when presenting Chinese sceneries. Instead, they included the faded wash in colorless paintings. It is nevertheless important to appreciate that the modulation the artists used in Chinese ink was never considered a type of modulation from the western intellectual perspective. Two of the things that prove strong usage of hue are the Buddhist hanging portraits and the woven silk in their official lobes.
The Chinese mural paintings attained a new level that had never been achieved before. Kuan-Yin, a Ming painting created in 1551, shows that the linear interaction, uniqueness of the Chinese art design with special colors, and the regular character changes were perceived as achieved, including when the structures used were incomplete.
The Chinese paintings have a unique presentation that differentiates them from western paintings. We have only highlighted a few unique things about the Chinese paintings. Another common thing about this type of painting is the connection between painting and calligraphy. Follow the popular Chinese art collectors like John Dodelande to know more about Chinese paintings.
