China : A Rich History Of Arts Ranging From Paintings To Sculptures
Like in many countries around the world, China has a rich history of art dating back several millennia. Painting and drawing is one of the oldest continuous artistic forms in the world today, and China has probably one of the oldest histories of this art form.
Chinese drawings and paintings began as purely ornamental designs as opposed to be representative of anything. The paintings were made up of patterns or ornate designs. Spirals, dots, and zig-zags were popular designs on early settlement pottery.
During the Warring States Period between 403-221 BC artists began to create more representative art and incorporate images of real life objects and people into their paintings and drawings.
Traditional Chinese paintings were done in a similar way to calligraphy, in that a brush was dipped into either black or colored inks and then a picture was drawn onto either silk or paper. The work was usually mounted on scrolls that could either be hung on walls or rolled up and given as a gift.
There are two techniques to traditional Chinese paintings, gong-bi and shui-mo. Gong-bi is often referred to as court-style painting, and is more meticulous than the free hand style of shui-mo, which also used water with the inks to give a more free-flowing style of art.
During the period of 202 BC- 906 AD, artists tended to draw paintings of the human figure, and many paintings which are still around today were found at burial sites where lacquered paintings were put above the deceased to protect them. Many of the paintings depicted every day life, which has been very helpful in piecing together China’s history.
The period between 907 - 1127 is best known as the “Great age of Chinese Landscape”, and the drawings and paintings were more of landscapes than of people. Some of the best known artists from northern China included: Jing Hao, Fan Kuan, and Guo Xi who created paintings from ink, and used sharp thick lines and dots to depict the rough terrain in the north. Artists from the south of China such as Dong Juan and Ju Ran created much softer and peaceful paintings which reflect on the less harsh terrain.
In more recent centuries, Chinese arts have started to adopt Western techniques such as oil painting. During the cultural revolution of China all art schools and sales of art books and albums ceased. It wasn’t until after 1979 that art schools and exhibitions were reinstated, and Chinese artists started to experiment with new techniques and styles. One of the most famous contemporary Chinese artists is child prodigy Wang Yani who started painting at the age of 3 and has contributed significantly to the art world. He uses a freehand style of painting.
Some other well-known contemporary artists include: Fan Zeng - a master of figure painting and calligraphy; Lin Fengiman - a popular figure painter who combines Chinese and Western techniques; and Meng Xiangshun - who is best known for his paintings of tigers.
If you are visiting China and want to view some examples of traditional and contemporary Chinese art, there are plenty of galleries and exhibitions for you to visit.
For contemporary art in Beijing, one of the best galleries is the Art Scene. The gallery represents some of the most famous and respected contemporary Chinese artists as well as those that are up and coming in the art world. It is a large gallery that includes a rooftop terrace. There is a sister gallery in Shanghai.
Courtyard Gallery also in Beijing exhibits emerging and mid-career artists, and there is a fantastic array of contemporary and avant-garde artwork housed here. Some of the artists who have work there at the moment include: Xue Song, Wang Chuan, Ren Hui and Feng Yan.
Many of the art galleries in China house contemporary art, and there are not as many with traditional paintings and drawings. But Fafa Gallery in Beijing 2000 square meter gallery does host a nice array of traditional Chinese paintings as well as oil paintings from several centuries ago.
As well as the Art Scene gallery in Shanghai, the city boasts dozens of other great contemporary and traditional art galleries. If you prefer to see traditional Chinese drawings and paintings, the Shanghai Museum is your best choice. It is a very large art gallery housing exhibits from all eras of China’s rich art history. It has a very diverse and rich collection from artists across the country. The majority of other art exhibitions in Shanghai centre on contemporary art, but there are many fantastic galleries. Some of the best include the Shanghai Art Museum, MoCA (Museum of Contemporary Art), Zendai Museum of Modern Art, and Shanghai Gallery of Art. They all feature exhibitions and works from some of the most famous artists from China and around the world.
