Introduction to Chinese Painting

Traditional Chinese painting is the general name of all kinds of paintings produced in the history of China for thousands of years.

The types of Chinese painting include early silk painting (the representative of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period of the Yulong map), fine brushwork heavy color (Wei and Jin to the Song Dynasty, representative Han Xizai night banquet map), literati landscape painting (representative of Xi Shan travel map), capital (Ming Dynasty Xu Wenchang's ink grape), as well as modern Chinese painting fusion of western painting ideas (representative Xu Beihong's horse).
According to the different carrier of painting roughly divided into silk painting, murals and paper painting and so on.

Development history

The history of Chinese painting has roughly experienced three periods: the development period (from Spring and Autumn to Wei and Jin), the mature period (from Wei and Jin to Song), and the decline period (from Yuan to Ming and Qing).

Development period

Chinese painting has been very brilliant, in fact, Chinese painting mature very early, soon reached a very high level of art. To the Song Dynasty in the inheritance of predecessors at the same time improved the techniques to reach the peak of the history of Chinese painting, many Song people's fine brushwork flowers and birds painting based on sketching, depiction subtle, landscape painting majestic, magnificent and spectacular. Then Chinese painting suddenly went downhill ,The painting is also mainly to freehand brushwork sketch, there is no previous fine brushwork painting as spectacular scene, can not be said not to decline, more and more do not pay attention to the development trend of sketching.

The reason for the glory of early Chinese painting is that the painter's painting is based on good sketching habits. Therefore the modelling is rigorous, the depiction is meticulous, the good work frequently.

And when the concept of painting reached a certain height, when people found that without drawing only rely on the ideas summarized by predecessors can also paint ," stylization "came into being.
Once stylized, the soul of painting disappeared, when the source of the water, when the later painters began to gnaw on the old book, the decline of Chinese painting has begun from the moment the sketch.

The scourge of literati

Chinese painting developed to the Tang and Song dynasties appeared a special group —— literati painting, produced an image of the development direction of Chinese painting —— literati painting.

It has to be said that the literati painting in the process of development produced a lot of everyone and fine works, such as Fan Kuan and his masterpiece ," Xi Shan Travel Map "and so on.
But the literati painting to the development of traditional Chinese painting more harm than its image of traditional Chinese painting.

What is the literati, to put it bluntly is the literati, officials in the system. These people already have a large number of voice and popularity in society, in fact, most literati do not understand painting, and do not have the talent in this respect. When such a group of people began to paint, it was a disaster for the artists who had the ability to paint at the bottom of the society.

The literati and masters created a special kind of painting in the history of Chinese painting by means of the stylized piecing together behind closed doors. So few people will sketch. Who will create new painting school new techniques. So everyone is imitating the literati painting, are practicing such stylization.
Even until now, many people still recall how the ancient literati painting, is really sad.

Virus General Capitalization
Capitalism is the creation of a literati (Xu said) improvisation graffiti, he may not have thought that his casual graffiti unexpectedly produced a painting faction —— capital.

In fact, freehand brushwork has been very early, but there is no capital as simple, such as Chen Hongshou freehand brushwork characters and so on.

And when the big picture appeared, the subject matter of this painting spread out. Capitalism and literati painting filled the whole Ming and Qing dynasties and became the symbol of the late decline of Chinese painting.

The reason why capital is popular is that its writing cycle is short, the painting time is fast, and the hand is quick. Without the basic skills of painting modeling as the basis for judging the merits and demerits of paintings, almost everyone can study two stylized routines can be used.

This virus-like painting should have been completely eradicated, because this painting without any modeling skills too hurt the enthusiasm of painting. So that a lot of first-time painting people have an illusion: painting does not need to work hard to practice modeling, only need to learn a few routines can cheat money. But in fact, it is impossible to eradicate the capital since the day it was born, because its existence once again lowered the threshold of painting entry, so that many laymen without any painting talent can also come in to play two strokes, even find out the routine can become a master.

Selective adherence to the inferior roots

Chinese painting to the late development of a lot of low entry threshold of the painting has been there, and even just when what, after hundreds of years can be maintained what, its degree of preservation can be seen. Such as literati painting, capital.

But those who need a certain talent can dabble in painting, the same does not fall all lost. It can be seen that the Chinese so-called respect for ancient people is also selective.

For example, heavy paint, not only painting lost even painting materials are abandoned by the Chinese. Embarrassed enough to need to learn from overseas, until modern times by a generation of pioneers after repeated experiments to find.

The technique of thick painting of rock color is one of the best traditional techniques in Dunhuang frescoes. It is not allowed to be used when stylized literati Because this technique is regarded as the symbol of "Qi stagnation ", is contrary to its idea, so the later period also lost. But also had to go overseas to learn, export to domestic sales.

Chinese painting later advocated "write" rather than "painting". This fundamentally blocks the correct concept of painting to its error correction, blocking the modeling skills of its screening, more terrible is to block the possibility of innovation.

This dark era of painting until the introduction of modern Western painting modeling theory and painting habits after the thorough correction.