2. Chinese art is visual art that, whether ancient or
modern, originated in or is practiced in China or by
Chinese artists.The Chinese art in the Republic of
China (Taiwan) and that of overseas Chinese can also
be considered part of Chinese art where it is based in
or draws on Chinese heritage and Chinese culture.
Early "StoneAge art" dates back to 10,000 BC, mostly
consisting of simple pottery and sculptures. After this
early period Chinese art, like Chinese history, is
typically classified by the succession of ruling
dynasties of Chinese emperors, most of which lasted
several hundred years.
3. Chinese art has arguably the oldest continuous
tradition in the world, and is marked by an
unusual degree of continuity within, and
consciousness of, that tradition, lacking an
equivalent to theWestern collapse and gradual
recovery of classical styles.The media that have
usually been classified in theWest since the
Renaissance as the decorative arts are extremely
important in Chinese art, and much of the finest
work was produced in large workshops or
factories by essentially unknown artists,
especially in Chinese ceramics.
4. Much of the best work in ceramics, textiles, carved lacquer, and
other techniques was produced over a long period by the various
Imperial factories or workshops, which as well as being used by
the court was distributed internally and abroad on a huge scale to
demonstrate the wealth and power of the Emperors. In contrast,
the tradition of ink wash painting, practiced mainly by scholar-
officials and court painters especially of landscapes, flowers, and
birds, developed aesthetic values depending on the individual
imagination of and objective observation by the artist that are
similar to those of the West, but long pre-dated their development
there. After contacts with Western art became increasingly
important from the 19th century onwards, in recent decades China
has participated with increasing success in worldwide
contemporary art.
5. Traditional Chinese painting involves essentially
the same techniques as Chinese calligraphy and
is done with a brush dipped in black or colored
ink; oils are not used. As with calligraphy, the
most popular materials on which paintings are
made of paper and silk.The finished work can be
mounted on scrolls, such as hanging scrolls or
handscrolls.Traditional painting can also be
done on album sheets, walls, lacquerware,
folding screens, and other media.
6. The two main techniques in Chinese painting are:
Gong-bi (工筆), meaning "meticulous", uses highly detailed
brushstrokes that delimits details very precisely. It is often highly
coloured and usually depicts figural or narrative subjects. It is often
practised by artists working for the royal court or in independent
workshops. Bird-and-flower paintings were often in this style.
Ink and wash painting, in Chinese Shui-mo or (水墨) also loosely
termed watercolour or brush painting, and also known as "literati
painting", as it was one of the "Four Arts" of the Chinese Scholar-
official class.In theory this was an art practised by gentlemen, a
distinction that begins to be made in writings on art from the Song
dynasty, though in fact the careers of leading exponents could
benefit considerably.This style is also referred to as "xie yi" (寫意)
or freehand style.
7.
8.
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10. Chinese ritual bronzes from the Shang andWestern Zhou
dynasties come from a period of over a thousand years from c.
1500, and have exerted a continuing influence over Chinese art.
They are cast with complex patterned and zoomorphic decoration,
but avoid the human figure, unlike the huge figures only recently
discovered at Sanxingdui.The spectacularTerracotta Army was
assembled for the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a
unified China from 221–210 BC, as a grand imperial version of the
figures long placed in tombs to enable the deceased to enjoy the
same lifestyle in the afterlife as when alive, replacing actual
sacrifices of very early periods. Smaller figures in pottery or wood
were placed in tombs for many centuries afterwards, reaching a
peak of quality in theTang dynasty
11.
12.
13. Chinese ceramic ware shows a continuous development since the
pre-dynastic periods, and is one of the most significant forms of
Chinese art. China is richly endowed with the raw materials
needed for making ceramics.The first types of ceramics were
made during the Palaeolithic era, and in later periods range from
construction materials such as bricks and tiles, to hand-built
pottery vessels fired in bonfires or kilns, to the sophisticated
Chinese porcelain wares made for the imperial court. Most later
Chinese ceramics, even of the finest quality, were made on an
industrial scale, thus very few individual potters or painters are
known. Many of the most renowned workshops were owned by or
reserved for the Emperor, and large quantities of ceramics were
exported as diplomatic gifts or for trade from an early date.
14.
15. As well as porcelain, a wide range of materials that were more valuable
were worked and decorated with great skill for a range of uses or just for
display.Chinese jade was attributed with magical powers, and was used
in the Stone and Bronze Ages for large and impractical versions of
everyday weapons and tools, as well as the bi disks and cong vessels.
Later a range of objects and small sculptures were carved in jade, a
difficult and time-consuming technique. Bronze, gold and silver,
rhinoceros horn, Chinese silk, ivory, lacquer and carved lacquer, cloisonne
enamel and many other materials had specialist artists working in them.
Folding screens (Chinese: 屏風; pinyin: píngfēng) are often decorated
with beautiful art; major themes include mythology, scenes of palace life,
and nature. Materials such as wood panel, paper and silk are used in
making folding screens.They were considered ideal ornaments for many
painters to display their paintings and calligraphy. Many artists painted
on paper or silk and applied it onto the folding screen.There were two
distinct artistic folding screens mentioned in historical literature of the
era.
