What is the essence of Chinese painting?

To know the essence, you must first understand Chinese painting~

The word "painting" is a concept, one is the abstract understanding of consciousness, and the other is the understanding of concrete images. A certain specific art can be created, transformed, or destroyed, such as Chinese landscape painting, flower and bird painting, figure painting, etc.; as an abstract concept of art, it cannot be transformed or destroyed. The existence of art is permanent and it belongs to the cultural layer. Laozi said: "The name of Wu is full of all things", "the shape of the formless, the image of the object". Laozi also said that Yi (colorless), Xi (silent) and Wei (invisible) cannot be questioned, and it is true. exist. Specific painting is a kind of mental skill. "It is created by external teachers, and the source of the heart is found in the heart", and "wonderful results are obtained by thinking about it". When the painter puts down the pen, there is something, and when he puts down the pen, there is nothing. It is done in an instant, and it is gone in an instant. From the perspective of "painting", success is not truly accomplished, and passing is not truly passing. It has no gestalt, it is eternally unborn; it has no definite number, it is always one. And it comes from nothingness, there is no existence, there is no painting, whatever the painter wants, it is consciously produced by the painter and can be grasped freely.

The painter does what he wants, and the master of the mind creates and embodies all things. It is said that "everything is picked up", "according to the heart's desire", and "everything is created by the heart". Created by the heart, there is a material transformation process, and it is also subject to the constraints of the director, the environment of the times, the cultural level, and the person's personality, and is promoted by both material and spiritual factors. Since ancient times, Chinese painting has focused on visiting the pond, traveling, learning, and inheritance. Therefore, the importance of "traveling thousands of miles and reading thousands of books" can be said to be the success or failure of painting.

History is changing, things are changing, knowledge needs to change, people’s thoughts need to change, both form and content are changing. There are obvious differences between modern people and ancient people. There is no fixed image in a painting, and the style of painting differs regardless of the era or a specific painter. The results of this change, although conceivable, cannot be asserted. It is not based on will. Chinese painting has a beginning and an end, and is endless. The Tao that constitutes Chinese painting will exist as long as the universe still exists and will not disappear.

Throughout the history of art, as far back as Zhang Seng’s concave-convex paintings and Cao Buxing’s Buddhist statues to the era of Castiglione, not only did the situation occur, but there were also a number of well-known painters. Ai Qimeng blended Chinese and Western painting methods, and those who were influenced include Leng Mei, Tang Dai, Chen Mei, Luo Fuyu, etc. Wu Li believed in Christianity in his later years. Some people said that his paintings were based on Western techniques. He objected to such claims. He also meant to despise Western paintings. He said: "My paintings do not seek resemblance in form, nor do they fall into stereotypes. They are called spirited and elegant. They all use Yin and Yang to back the stereotypes - and the brushes are also different." Although Castiglione tried his best to absorb the freehand brushwork of Chinese paintings, Chinese people are not mature, and foreigners say that they have abandoned their roots, which puts them in a dilemma. At that time, Chinese and Western paintings were not integrated into one, and that kind of painting method has not yet established a traditional inheritance. This is a fact recorded in history.

Reflecting on the history of Chinese painting, the fact that Chinese painting exists is indeed constantly changing, but the ever-changing changes revolve around one central axis, which is national tradition. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, there was political disunity, and various academic thoughts became active accordingly. Due to the promotion of Buddhism, the art of painting became a vibrant flower, producing a group of highly accomplished artists who have continued to flourish throughout history and the process. Among the glorious and praised painters, Gu Kaizhi is one of the greatest and most representative epoch-making figures. Not only did he have many works on the theme of landscape painting, but the draft "Painting Yuntai Mountain" left very precious inspiration to future generations. There are also "Pictures of Luo Shen Fu" and "Pictures of Proverbs of Women's History". Including Dunhuang murals, it is precisely because of the many landscape creations that theoretical works such as Zong Bing's "Preface to Painting Landscapes" and "Painting Narrative" were circulated, which proposed the perspective ratio of "three inches vertically, which is as high as a thousand feet; horizontal ink" A few feet, a body thousands of miles back." "Use a pen to imitate the body of Taixu". At the same time, aesthetic ideas such as "freedom of spirit" and "emotion of painting" were put forward. These paved the way for landscape painting to become an independent discipline.

The Sui Dynasty was the transitional stage for landscape painting to become fully mature. The Tang Dynasty was the most powerful and prosperous era in the history of our country, and the art of painting flourished unprecedentedly. The wrinkle method of landscape painting has developed, and the golden landscapes of Li and his son are the masters. The ink landscape painting methods of Wu Daozi and Wang Wei created a new development direction. In the later period, Wang Qia's splashing of ink further displayed the properties of water. Zhang Cao was good at using bare brushes to create new rendering methods, and put forward the far-reaching theory of "learning from nature and gaining the source of the heart", which provided a dialectical basis for the subjective and objective relationship in the creation of Chinese paintings. Landscape painting is beautiful, mature and independent. The perspective proportion theory in Wang Wei's "Landscape Jue" reflects the perfection of Chinese painting theory. Wang Weicheng created the artistic realm of poetry within paintings and paintings within poetry, which set a precedent for later literati paintings.

In the Tang Dynasty, the techniques of using brushes, inks, colors, and water, which constitute the essence of Chinese painting, were complete and mature. "Foreign masters are created by nature, and the source of the heart is obtained." "A tree with a foot on a mountain, a horse can separate people, and people from a distance are no different. The tree in the distance has no branches, the mountain in the distance has no rocks, it is as faint as an eyebrow, the water in the distance has no waves, and it is as high as the clouds." . This kind of scientific and practical ideological theory and technical theory has contributed to the pinnacle of the development of Chinese painting. The artistic realm of poetry in painting and painting in poetry has established the high image and lofty status of oriental art for Chinese painting. For thousands of years after the Tang Dynasty, it has been enjoying the use of rich and precious heritage, relying on these heritage to lay a deep and solid foundation. The foundation made flower-and-bird painting rise and mature in the Song Dynasty.

Due to political divisions in the Five Dynasties, the style of Chinese painting was affected. Jing Hao from the north had a powerful influence and had a profound influence. He wrote the book "Brushwork Notes". He proposed the "six essentials of spirit, rhyme, thought, scenery, brushwork and ink" and developed the "six methods". Guan was the successor of Jing Hao and had a long-lasting influence with Jiangnan Pingshui ink style. Ju Ran inherited Dong Yuan's mantle. They continued to influence the later Calvary era, and even developed into the Northern and Southern Sects.

Mr. Zheng Zhenduo said that when discussing the history of Chinese painting, the Song Dynasty should be centered. Chinese painting subjects in the Song Dynasty were complete, flowers bloomed, and the splendor was unprecedented. Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty opened a painting academy and established a "painting school"; it was the first national art academy in the world, and the academic thinking and academic style of painting began.

The painting schools of Li Cheng, Guan Tong, and Fan Kuan in the early Song Dynasty dominated the painting world. The history of Chinese painting has commented that "the three pillars stand together and set the course for generations." In the mid-Northern Song Dynasty, literati painters emerged as a new force, advocating freehand ink painting, which was opposed to courtyard painting. The representative tasks are Su Shi and Mi Fu. Su Shi proposed that "when discussing paintings, we should look at them in terms of shape, and see them as children." It has become a motto for imagery painting depicting divine interest and has influenced the present day. This viewpoint and painting method also provide a revolutionary slogan for the innovation of Chinese painting. The artistic thoughts of Su and Mi have become models and guides for literati painting. Due to the opposition and confusion between literati painting and courtyard painting, the painting styles of Li Tang, Liu Songnian, Ma Yuan and Xia Gui were formed in the Southern Song Dynasty, and the freehand ink painting of Liang Kai appeared. But Su and Mi did not study and summarize, they just raised questions. These two theoretical works, "The Collection of Lin Quan Gaozhi" and "The Complete Works of Shan Shui Chun", were completed by painters from the Academy of Painting.

The most important figure in literati paintings of the Yuan Dynasty is Zhao Mengfu. He proposed that "calligraphy and painting have the same origin" and developed it, applying the power of calligraphy to painting pen and ink. Therefore, the legacy that painters can calligraphy and calligraphers can also paint has spread to the world of calligraphy and painting. Some people also say that books come from paintings, and the principles of painting are in books. The Yuan Dynasty was another turning point, with a sudden change in painting styles and literati ink paintings springing up with vitality. Although there were splendid institutional works in the field of green, heavy colors and gongbi paintings at that time, such as the exquisite murals of Yongle Palace, it was still close to his later years. In the early Ming Dynasty, the "Zhejiang School" was active in the painting world for a while, but was later replaced by Wumen painters. Dong Qichang's theory of Northern and Southern Buddhism has aroused intense excitement in the painting world for more than two hundred years. Although there are disputes about right and wrong, there is also a school of thought that his achievements are the most important. Chen Chun and Xu Wei are epoch-making figures, especially Xu Wei's influence is both great and long-lasting. Zheng Banqiao and Qi Baishi also admired him. From the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, people who could calligraphy and painting were good at calligraphy and painting, and poetry, calligraphy and painting were combined; epigraphy flourished, and poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seals were integrated into one. This great and glorious art of the Chinese nation is characterized by its completeness, grandeur, and Its exquisiteness, literary talent and mystery are unmatched by other paintings in the world.

From a historical perspective, the development to the Qing Dynasty continued on the path drawn by literati. Although it was developed along the path of literati painting at this time, it was an era of integration. At that time, the relationship between the inside and outside of society was changing. The painter's life, worldview, artistic outlook, techniques, and academics left us with a comprehensive and rich collection of artistic treasures and experiences that are both precious and realistic, with different schools and competing arts. There are countless masters such as: "Four Ming Schools", "Four Kings", "Four Monks", "Eight Eccentrics", "Jinling School", "Huangshan School", "Yangzhou School", the first to create finger-ink painting Gao Qipei and others, they are all devotees and creators of our national culture, and there are also personal sacrifices and martyrs.

From a historical perspective, when did Chinese painting stop changing and developing? Things are constantly changing, developing, moving, and inheriting the past. However, new things contain many factors of old things. Zhuangzi said: "When it is divided, it is accomplished; when it is accomplished, it is destroyed." In the development of Chinese painting, tradition always plays a positive role. Without traditional things, there is no basis for research, and there is no basis for how to talk about development. In development, the best and the best are inherited, while the other parts are eliminated. "It succeeds and it destroys." Change has natural laws, and people can understand and apply the laws in the process of change.

However, Wang Wei, Li and his sons, Liang Kai, and Xu Wei provided the basis for Chinese painting to become today's big splash of ink and splash of color. This is independent of people's will and is specific. ——"It's divided and completed." As a practice, painting has tangible forms and images; as a concept, it has no form or image. Formless and invisible, formless and visible, they are transformed in the process of movement, and the painter can freely grasp them and "create nature wonderfully". The result of movement is unexpected and arises from the invisible, independent of the painter's will. "The bamboo in the heart is not the bamboo in the hand, the bamboo in the hand is not the bamboo on the paper, and the bamboo on the paper is not the original bamboo in the heart."

Chinese painting has developed to this day, with such abstract images, unfettered splashing of ink and color, and indulgent and wild interest. Besides, spiritual and material things have been owned by individuals since ancient times. Today they have truly become the culture of society and the civilization of mankind. Did any of the ancients or predecessors predict this? Nowadays, some people are copying Han brick patterns, some are copying Dunhuang murals, some are copying folk art, and some are copying children's paintings, and they are all reflecting on history in different ways. There are also people who shout about "anti-tradition", "the end of the road", and "the two become one". Only when Chinese painting moves closer to Western painting will it have a future. There are also people who shout "anti-tradition" and are secretly attacking tradition. Chinese painting, like other traditional cultures, was denied at a certain time and then revalued at a certain time; it was buried and destroyed at a certain time and then revived again at another time. The same is true for Western painting. Impressionism was strongly attacked by academics. Impressionism once radically carried the banner of anti-tradition, but it later became traditional. Degas, one of the Impressionist painters, said: "The study of nature is meaningless, because painting is a traditional art. It is much more meaningful to learn to paint like Holbein." Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, Dadaism, and Surrealism were influenced by Cézanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh, and Seurat and absorbed their experiences. The freehand paintings of Chinese literati were a reaction to the academic paintings of the Song Dynasty. It is natural that traditional literati paintings have now become the target of revolution for a certain group of people. Lao Tzu said: "Tao can be said, but it is not Tao. Name, it can be named, but it is not named." "Tao produces one, produces two, two produces three, and three produces all things." Things are always opposites, complementary, unified, and contradictions move forward. Gauguin said: "The painter in front of his easel is neither a slave of past times nor a slave of the present; neither a slave of nature nor a slave of his neighbors. He is himself, always himself, always It's himself." ("History of Impressionist Painting")

Zong Baihua said: "Chinese painting is not all about the depiction of specific objects, but the use of abstract brushwork to express personality, mood and artistic conception. The beauty of the lines of architecture, the beauty of the rhythm of music, and the beauty of dance postures are not mechanically realistic, such as the exquisiteness of flower and bird painting, which is the best in the world. "Chinese painting is not about finding the subject matter first and then finding the model for the photo. When painting, there is always the shackles of an object and the limitations of heaven and earth. Although there is both form and spirit, "intention" is not enough. Chinese painting is an image in which the painter appreciates all things in his life experience, "goes deep into the core of the rhythm of life", and expresses the painter's deepest interest in a free and harmonious form. Shi Tao believes that his paintings are neither like those of the ancients nor those of today. "I think, I paint, and I exist." It is said that Chinese painting is the same, without change, and requires horizontal connections. When learning Western painting, it may be that the study is not deep and the words are not precise. Chinese painters use the cosmology of "clear mind and Taoism" to understand the world, observe all things, write about the relief in their chests, and seek a kind of spiritual liberation. The realm of Western painting is different from the abstract brush and ink concrete structure of Chinese painting. Even the Impressionists saw and described their objects very accurately. Van Gogh and Matisse paid great attention to the role of lines in their paintings. They said: "My inspiration often comes from Eastern art." They also said: "My style is formed by the influence of Cézanne and the East." "Oriental line drawings show a vast space, and it is a real space. It helps me go beyond the scope of sketching." ("History of Impressionist Painting"). Matisse and Picasso themselves said that they were influenced by Chinese painting. "Looking at the world, first, only the Chinese have art; second, Japan, whose art also originated from China; and third, black Africans." (Preface to the exhibition of Picasso's late creations) Their use of lines has never been as good as the line flow of Chinese paintings. Changes, variety, hidden implications, and rich meanings. The lines of Chinese painting not only express the body, but also express the spirit and the movement of life. Its content has a broad philosophy of time and space. Chinese and Western painters each have their own world views, establishing two independent system.

For these two systems, both modern and modern predecessors have proposed the idea of ??"merging the two into one", which can be regarded as a revolutionary slogan. They not only chant slogans, but also engage in revolutionary practice and work hard. Another interesting fact is that so far they have not succeeded in establishing a tradition as a model for learning and have not seen it being passed down vigorously.

Ren Bonian first studied Western painting. The famous French painter Dayang praised Ren Bonian's works as "how vivid and mysterious. In these watercolor paintings, there is so much subtle harmony and in these such dense colors." The older generation of Yue School painters Hang Zhiying, Jin Meisheng and others once learned watercolor painting, and Zhang Yuguang was the most active and active person in promoting watercolor painting. Lu Fengzi, Chen Qiucao, Pan Sitong, Fang Yunqiang, Li Shutong, and Zhang Daqian all started with Western painting, and throughout the years they gained reputation and are remembered for their Chinese paintings.

Characteristics: Compared with Western painting, Chinese painting has its own obvious characteristics. Traditional Chinese paintings do not pay attention to focus perspective, do not emphasize the changes in light and color of objects in nature, and do not stick to the similarity of the appearance of objects. Instead, they emphasize expressing the author's subjective taste. Chinese painting emphasizes "writing spirit with form" and pursues a feeling of "the beauty lies between similarity and dissimilarity": but what about Western painting? It emphasizes "writing form with form". Of course, in the process of creation, it also pays attention to the expression of "spirit". But it pays great attention to the overall picture and generalization. Some people say that Western painting is an art of "reproduction" and Chinese painting is an art of "expression". This is not unreasonable.

Compared with Western painting, Chinese painting has its own unique characteristics, which are also reflected in its artistic techniques, artistic disciplines, composition, brush use, ink use, color application and other aspects. According to the artistic techniques, Chinese painting can be divided into three forms: meticulous brushwork, freehand brushwork and part-time calligraphy. Gongbi is to use brushes neatly and meticulously, apply colors layer by layer, make details clear and subtle, and use extremely delicate brush strokes to depict objects, so it is called "Gongbi". And what about freehand brushwork? Compared with "gongbi", bold and concise brushwork is used to describe the form and spirit of objects and express the author's emotions. It must have a high degree of generalization ability and an implicit artistic conception of winning more with less. It must be accurate in writing and skillful in handling, and it must be able to be used handily and accurately. The form of part-time writing is a comprehensive application of the two methods of gongbi and freehand brushwork.

From the perspective of artistic disciplines, Chinese painting can be divided into three major painting disciplines: figures, landscapes, and flowers and birds. It is mainly divided based on the different objects depicted. The paintings of animals, pommel horses, insects, fruits and vegetables in Chinese paintings can be classified into these three categories respectively.

Chinese painting also has its own characteristics in terms of composition, use of brushes, use of ink, and application of colors. The composition of Chinese paintings generally does not follow the golden rule of Western paintings. Instead, it is either a long scroll or a vertical scroll, and the length-to-width ratio is "imbalanced." But it can well express the special artistic conception and the subjective taste of the painter. At the same time, Chinese painting and Western painting are also different in terms of perspective methods. Perspective is a term used in painting. It means that when painting, all objects are correctly represented on a flat surface so that they have a sense of space and three-dimensionality. This method is called perspective. Because the phenomenon of perspective is that the near is large and the far is small, it is often called the "far and near method". Western paintings generally use focus perspective, which is like photography. It is fixed at one footing. Due to the limitations of space, what is taken into the lens must be photographed truthfully, otherwise it will not be photographed. Chinese painting is not necessarily fixed on a fixed footing, nor is it limited by a fixed field of view. It can move the footing according to the painter's feelings and needs, and incorporate both visible and invisible scenery into his painting. . This perspective method is called scatter perspective or multi-point perspective. For example, the famous painting of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhang Zeduan's "Along the River During the Qingming Festival", which we are familiar with, uses scatter perspective. "Along the River During Qingming Festival" reflects the rich, complex and varied scenes inside and outside Bianliang, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty. It takes the Bianhe River as the center and draws from the distant countryside to the lively "Hongqiao"; the viewer can see both the city and the countryside; both the pedestrians on the bridge and the boats under the bridge; You can see not only the nearby buildings and trees, but also the deep streets and river ports in the distance. And no matter which section you stand on, the proportions of the scenery are similar. If you paint according to the focus and perspective method of Western paintings, many places cannot be painted at all. This is a unique perspective method created by ancient Chinese painters based on the needs of content and artistic expression.

The use of pens and inks is an important part of the style of Chinese painting. Pay attention to changes in thickness, speed, pauses, turns, squares and circles when using the pen to express the texture of the object. Generally speaking, you need to use force when starting and stopping the pen. The wrist should be straight, the breath should not be broken in the middle, and the pen should not be lifted lightly when holding the pen.

When using the pen, light force will make it float, heavy force will make it smooth, fast movement will make it slippery, slow movement will cause sluggishness, partial use will make it thin, and correct use will make it dull. To make it curve like a bow and straight like a ruler, this is the intention of using the pen. The ancients summarized the outline and eighteen strokes, which can be said to be a summary of the experience of using brushes in Chinese painting. As for the use of ink, it pays attention to the interaction of chaffing, rubbing, dotting and dyeing, and the reasonable mixing of dry, wet, thick and light to shape the body and dye the atmosphere. Generally speaking, the beauty of using ink in Chinese painting lies in the interplay of thick and light. All thick and all light are lackluster. There must be thick and light. The thick parts must be brilliant but not stagnant, and the light parts must be elegant but not dull. Using ink is like using color. In ancient times, there was the experience of dividing ink into five colors, and there was also a painting style that cherished ink like gold. When using ink, thick and thick ink should complement each other, so that there is light in the thick, and thick in the light; the thick should have the thickest and the second thick, and the light should have the lighter and lighter. These are all the flexible brushstrokes of Chinese painting. Law. Because Chinese painting and calligraphy have many similarities in terms of tools and brushwork, the two have formed an indissoluble bond. The ancients have long said that "calligraphy and painting have the same origin". However, there are also differences between the two. Calligraphy is more varied than calligraphy, especially cursive writing, which is better than painting. Painting, on the other hand, uses more colorful inks than calligraphy. The word "pen and ink" is regarded as the general term for Chinese painting techniques. It is not only a means of shaping images, but also has independent aesthetic value in itself.

Chinese painting also has its own particularities in color application. The pigments used are mostly natural minerals or animal shell powders, which are resistant to wind and sun and remain unchanged for a long time. The color application method is mostly flat coating, pursuing the effect of the inherent color of the object, with little change of light and shadow.

The characteristics of Chinese painting discussed above mainly refer to traditional Chinese painting. But these characteristics have evolved with the passage of time. The content and form of art are also updated and constantly changing. Especially after the May Fourth Movement, Western paintings poured in in large numbers. With its broad mind, Chinese paintings absorbed many Western art techniques and enriched the expressive power of Chinese paintings. However, regardless of the changes, the basic national characteristics of the traditional Chinese painting cannot be lost, and the fine traditions of Chinese painting should be maintained and carried forward, because Chinese painting has its own unique system in the field of world art. It shines uniquely in the flowing art garden. Chinese painting is the crystallization of our nation's high wisdom, outstanding talent and hard work, and is a precious wealth of our nation.