Chinese Painting
    Chinese painting is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. The finished work is then mounted on scrolls, which can be hung or rolled up. Much of what we know of early Chinese figure painting comes from burial sites, where paintings were preserved on silk banners, lacquered objects, and tomb walls. Many early tomb paintings were meant to protect the dead or help their souls get to paradise. Others illustrated the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius or showed scenes of daily life.

1.History
    Originated from late Zhou Dynasty, portraits gradually formed its own characteristics during Han Dynasty, Wei Dynasty, and the period of Six Dynasties. In Sui and Tang Dynasties, painting dyes were invented in China; the period of Five Dynasties and Song Dynasty witnessed the rise of many genres, and the rapid development of Chinese painting; in Yuan Dynasty, wash drawing was very popular; during Ming and Qing Dynasties as well as the modern times, Chinese painting mainly followed the regulations or rules prescribed in early dynasties. But each dynasty witnessed the emergence of innovative painters. In the field of fine arts world widely, Chinese painting has its unique national style and characteristics.

 

2.Tool
    Chinese Painting has developed a unique style. The traditional painting is painted on special rice paper or thin silk with painting brushes, Chinese ink, and Chinese painting dye, oils are not used.

3.Type
   Chinese painting developed and was classified by theme into three types: birds-and-flowers, figures and landscapes.
   The birds-and-flowers genre has its roots in the decorative patterns engraved on pottery and bronze ware by early artists. Among the common subjects in this genre, which reached its peak during the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279), are flowers, bamboo, birds, insects, and stones. The genre flourished under Emperor Huizong (1082 - 1135), who was an artist himself and excelled at both calligraphy and traditional painting, especially paintings of exquisite flowers and birds.
    Painters who specialized in figures included images of immortals, emperors, court ladies, and common people in their works. Through their depictions of such scenes and activities as feasts, worship and street scenes, these artists reflected the appearance, expressions, ideals, and religious beliefs of the people. Chinese figure painting prominently features verve. The portrayal of figures saw its heyday during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). The master of painting, Wu Daozi (about 685 - 758), created many Buddhist murals and other landscape  paintings that are marked by variety and vigor. One of his best known works is a depiction of the Heaven King holding his newborn son Sakyamuni to receive the worship of the immortals.
    Many critics consider landscape to be the highest form of Chinese painting. The time from the Five Dynasties period to the Northern Song period (907-1127) is known as the "Great age of Chinese landscape". In the north, artists such as Jing Hao, Fan Kuan, and Guo Xi painted pictures of towering mountains, using strong black lines, ink wash, and sharp, dotted brushstrokes to suggest rough stone. In the south, Dong Yuan, Ju Ran, and other artists painted the rolling hills and rivers of their native countryside in peaceful scenes done with softer, rubbed brushwork. These two kinds of scenes and techniques became the classical styles of Chinese landscape painting.
   No matter what the subject or the style, traditional Chinese painting should be infused with imagination and soul.

 

Characteristics of the Chinese Painting
    The European practice of creating form always by using of color and light. While in Chinese painting, it always use lines to create images. In the other way, there is rarely a Chinese painting that dose not begin with the use of lines.
    A Chinese painter seldom uses colors. Ink is a substitute for color. The Chinese painters believe that if one has ink, he has the five colors. Chinese painters depend on “brush and ink” expect in the painting of flowers where the color may be the essence of the idea.
    A good Chinese painting often leaves much room for its viewers to indulge in wonderment and imagination. For instance, in a Chinese landscape painting, the clouds belong to the mountains and most of the skies are empty voids, yet these voids may be the most important parts of the design. This character of empty parts was influenced by a unique cultural conception of void, based on the Daoist speculations about the significance of the non-existent. The Chinese feeling for the need of voids as amplifiers has remained a characteristic trait throughout their history. The Chinese painters believe if the empty places are right, the whole painting is alive, and the more such places there are, the less boring the whole painting becomes.

    The Chinese painters artistic language is very different from that of the Westerners’. With plants, they express the change of seasons; through the use of candles or the moon, they show evening or nighttime. The darkness of night is often suggested by an accompanying poem that creates in the mind of the reader a strong sense of association. In Chinese painting, objects are given size according to their importance: the king being twice as large as his subjects, or a tree half the size of a man when it merely informs us that the scene is out-of –doors. The favorite disciple of Confucius looks like a little boy beside him and the most important figure in any group is usually the largest. The principle of size according to significance has persisted in the Chinese tradition.
    Chinese painters in the past believed that one should not use a model when painting; one should impress the motif upon one’s memory exactly and paint the picture from memory. Probably because of this age-old tradition, some Chinese painters only paint landscapes, not human figures or flowers and birds. Other only paint human figures or flowers and birds, but none of the others. Among painters of flowers and birds, some paint only plum flowers or bamboo. This kind of classification is rarely seen among European painters.
    Inscription on a painting is an art technique that a painter must master, as well as an important factor in determining whether a painting is good or not. Inscriptions mainly refer to the painter’s autograph, date of completion, the collector’s name and a short description or poem. When the painting dose not quite fully convey the painter’s feelings, he describes it with a poem. For instance, in a painting of bamboo, there might be an accompanying poem. While speaking of the bamboo, the line actually praises a gentleman of high moral principles.

    It is a must today to affix a real seal on a Chinese ink painting without color to make the painting look harmonious and the design more appealing.