Traditional Chinese painting

The four art forms in ancient China are guqin, chess, penmanship, and painting. And painting particularly refers to traditional Chinese painting. Traditional Chinese painting is done with a brush dipped into black or colored ink and is painted on silk or xuan paper. In ancient China, it was called “ink-painting”. In order to distinguish it from Western oil-paintings, the Chinese people term their works “traditional Chinese painting” (abbreviated to “Chinese painting”). The subject matters of Chinese paintings are typically figures, landscapes, birds and flowers. The drawing skills and techniques employed by the Chinese painters can be divided into two forms: fine brushwork and free-hand brushwork. The artistic characteristics lie in “the writing brush and ink”. Chinese painting emphasizes using the shape to convey the feelings of the painter. Even though a painting is a finished product, it endlessly conveys a meaning. In terms of the artistic creation, traditional Chinese painting is a reflection of the aesthetic consciousness and artistic sentiment of the Chinese people.