Chinese painting has a long history that goes back to thousands of years. However, this
painting style and techniques have come a long way and have fascinated art lovers
worldwide.
However, certain aspects of Chinese art have remained the same throughout history. For
example, the characteristics of birds, flowers, and landscapes are perpetually found in
traditional Chinese paintings. In addition, unlike the western painting styles that use
acrylics, Chinese painting involves more extended usage of water-based colors.
Also, Chinese art is more abstract in nature, usually related to natural landscapes, and
highlights the importance of white spaces in the overall drawing.
If you are an art connoisseur or an art lover, this article will tell you three important things
about real Chinese paintings.
1) Chinese Ink and Brush Painting
Chinese traditions had a significant influence on Chinese ink and brush paintings. Such
methods of paintings were developed in the period of Tang Dynasty art (618-907) by the
great Chinese artist Wang Wei. These paintings were created using pure ink and
involved tools similar to those used in classic Chinese calligraphy.
Chinese artists used to grind their ink using traditional ink sticks made with charcoal ash
and glue made from fish bones. These paintings are renowned for their tonality of black,
white, and grey colors and their description of natural landscapes and figures.
2) Mountain-and-Water Paintings
If you observe Chinese paintings from prominent Chinese art collectors such as John
Dodelande , you will find that mountains and water have a major role in traditional
Chinese paintings.
The west might have been more active towards finding the unfamiliar and secrets of
nature. Chinese art, on the other hand, is known for appreciating the familiar natural
landscapes.
Moreover, Chinese geography and landscape also lead to this inclusion of waterfalls and
landscapes in Chinese paintings. That’s why you will find lots of mountain peaks, huge
waterfalls, and distant streams in the Chinese paintings.
3) Chinese Roll Paintings
Chinese roll paintings have a long story and are a new concept for western modernized
painting lovers.
In this form of painting, artists used to start painting at one end of a silk orchestra and
continue drawing till the other end. After that, these drawings were saved as a roll, and
hence, they got the name of ‘roll paintings’.
In these paintings, artists drew a fluent design and made the drawing appear moving
forward in a distinct pattern. Hence, you will find a pictorial movement in such roll
paintings.