Lecture 7 Traditional Chinese Painting
Traditional Chinese Painting dates back to the Neolithic period about six thousand
years ago. The colored pottery with painted animals, fish, deer, and fogs can illustrate
this.
In terms of mode of expression, traditional Chinese painting falls into two categories:
The xieyi (literally “painting the feeling”) school, marked by exaggeration of form
and liberal use of ink;
The gongbi( “meticulous brushwork”) school, characterized by strict and detailed
representation of the subject.
(1) It has an aesthetic theory that emphasizes the sentiments.
(2) Different from Western painting, a Chinese painting is not restricted by the focal
point in its perspective.焦点透视The adoption of shifting perspective enables the
artist to express freely what he wants.
(3)Chinese calligraphy and Chinese painting are closely related because lines are used
in both.
The use of lines and strokes is one of the elements that give Chinese painting its
unique qualities.
(4) Traditional Chinese Painting is a combination in the same picture of the arts of
poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal engraving.
Mountains, rivers, plants, animals, birds, flowers, etc., can all be chosen for their
traditional association as much as for their inherent beauty.
pine---uprightness and immortality
“three friends of winter”---pine, bamboo and prunes Peony---standing for riches and honors
Lotus----coming out of the mire without being smeared, for purity
Chrysanthemum---for elegance, righteousness and longevity; Prunes, for bravery, and also messenger of spring
New Year Pictures•New Year Pictures have a long history and can be traced
back to the Eastern Han Dynasty.
•Originally, people painted menshen(door gods) on their doors with ink and colors to
protect their families from devils.
•During the Tang Dynasty, pictures of door gods were gradually replaced by those of
people from real life.
•In the Song Dynasty, woodblock printed New Year Pictures were traded among the
ordinary people.•New Year Pictures were gradually popularized and developed into an
independent art form.
•In the seventeenth century, during the period of great prosperity of the Qing
Dynasty(1644-1911), New Year Pictures flourished along with other handicrafts.1.天1.天
津杨柳青年画 津杨柳青年画
•The themes cover a wide range, from plump babies to the Old
2.江苏桃花坞年画 2.江苏桃花坞年画
God of Longevity, from landscapes to birds and flowers, from the ploughing cattle in
spring to rich harvest in autumn. 3.山东杨家埠年画3.山东杨家埠年画
•Human figures often show artistic exaggeration, but the message in all pictures is
•The colors most favored are red, green, purple, yellow and black---which are not only bright but
contrast well with one another---intended to give fresh, vivid, pleasant and inspiring
impression.•The use of symbolism is another characteristic of New Year Pictures.
•crane/peach----long life
•Plum/peony----good fortune and happiness
•Pomegranate/red plum---a large number of children •Facial makeups in operas •The burnt picture烫画
•The cotton picture
•Interior painting in snuff bottles鼻烟壶内画
•Picture mounting装裱
•Ink paste for seals印泥
•Water color block printing木版水印
•The iron picture
•The cork picture软木画 •Straw patchwork麦秸画
Art and Literature 中国文学艺术家联合会 China Federation of Literary and Art Circle 纯文学 pure literature
知青文学 educated youth’s literature 伤痕文学 trauma literature
暴露文学 literature of exposure
纪实小说 faction
言情小说 romantic fiction
武侠小说 swordsman (martial arts) novel
广告文学 advertising literature
痞子文学 ruffian’s literature
美女作家 beauty writer
表演艺术 performance art
写实主义 stylistic realism
印象主义 impressionism
超现实主义 surrealism
立体主义 cubism
本土主义 regionalism
抽象画 abstract painting
人体写生 body sketch
写真集 photo album
人体彩绘 body painting
临摹 copy painting 透视 perspective
素描 sketch 花鸟画 painting of flowers and birds
山水画 landscape 人物画 portrait
水墨画 painting of ink and wash
个人画展 one-man show of painting
丹青妙笔 the superb touch of a great painter; the touch of a master
绘画大师 painting master