Chinese Art

RESEARCH ON CHINESE ART IN RESPONSE TO PRINT WORKSHOP

The ink brush, ink, paper, and inkstone are essential implements of Chinese art. They are known together as the Four Treasures of the Study. In addition to these four tools, a water-dropper, desk pads and paperweights are also used by calligraphers. 


The brush pen is a traditional writing instrument in Chinese visual arts. The Inkstick (墨) is a solid artificial ink made from minerals like graphite & vermilion, higher quality inksticks also use powdered spices and herbs, adding to aroma and providing some protection to the ink itself. They are often decorated with poems, calligraphy, relief patternwork or and painted. (Shown Right) Paper (紙/纸) was first developed in China in the first decade 100 AD. Previous to its invention, bamboo slips and silks were used for writing material. The inkstone (硯/砚) is used to grind the ink stick into powder. This powder is then mixed with water in a well in the inkstone in order to liquid ink.

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.
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, such as the example below. 

• Ink and wash painting, (Shui-mo or 水墨) and also known as "literati painting", 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.  

The way the Chinese master crafters approached their tools was of particular interest to me. There is such a mistique to traditional oriental works and I wonder if that could be to do with the almost ritualistic emphasis they placed on their craft, with specialised, incredibly high quality tools for the job which held incredible decorative and creative values in their own right. This got me thinking differently about the emphasis on process and how that can really maximise not only enjoyment via creation but also the unique experience created when viewing the finished product.

I also found it interesting to learn the two distinct styles of Chinese visual art. Although I appreciate the incredible proficiency and detail in the gong-bi paintings, I think that in shui-mo the masterful strokes and gestural energy combined with clever observational representation come together to create something that is looks both unrestrained yet deeply self aware and purposeful. I also prefer the high impact ink tones to the slightly muted tones produced from the natural pigments traditionally used.