The Chinese painting referred to here is a scroll painting. That is, painting with paper or silk on a hand roll or vertical shaft, painting with a brush and ink or toner. The history of Chinese painting is the evolution of scroll painting style here. Chinese painting developed for about 2000 years from the Warring States Period to the Opium War in Qing Dynasty, with a long history and varied styles.
"The Dragon King" and "The Dragon and Phoenix Lady" are silk paintings unearthed in Chu during the Warring States Period, with concise pen and ink and vivid characters. Although it can't be called scroll painting, we can get a glimpse of the painting level at that time. Subsequently, the silk paintings and guide maps of Tuotuo family tombs in the early Western Han Dynasty unearthed in Mawangdui, Changsha, have complex structure, orderly arrangement and relatively perfect shape. Let people imagine that the painting level at that time reached such a high artistic level.
Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties is the beginning of scroll painting, and the real Chinese painting appeared. Portrait painting is the main creative theme in this period. Gu Kaizhi's theory of "vivid" requires that painting should emphasize the style and temperament of characters. This and the later painting theorist Sheikh's "Vivid Charm" put forward in the Six Laws had a great influence on the painting style at that time, and also laid the foundation for the formation of the characteristics of emphasizing charm in Chinese painting.
China's painting reached a peak in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. On the basis of the Sui Dynasty connecting the past with the future, the Tang Dynasty achieved all-round development. Wu Daozi, a great master, has made great contributions to figure painting (including religious painting) and landscape painting. His figure paintings, especially religious figures, are known as the "all six laws", and the clothes of the figures fluctuate with the wind, so they are called "the Five Dynasties should be the wind". Represents the maturity of figure painting. The painting method of "ink and wash landscape" initiated by him and Wang Wei and the painting style of green landscape initiated by Li Sixun and Li Zhaodao at that time are regarded as two major schools of literati painting in North and South China. Han Yun's "Five Cattle Map" in Tang Dynasty is the earliest work handed down from generation to generation, which represents the superb level of the popular painting of cattle and horses at that time.
The change of scroll painting style in the Five Dynasties is a transition from Tang Dynasty to Song Dynasty. In the north, Hao Jing and Guan Tong created a magnificent panoramic landscape. In the south, there are Jiangnan painting schools represented by Dong Yuan and Ju Ran, which are good at expressing simple and naive Jiangnan scenery. Dong Ju's painting style prevailed after Yuan Dynasty, which had a rare influence on the development of China's painting style. In the field of flower-and-bird painting, there is a difference between the delicate and rich painting style of Huang Quan and the natural and interesting painting style of Xu Xi. These two painting styles have always existed in the development of flower-and-bird painting styles in later generations. In the whole development process of scroll painting style, the Song Dynasty is an extremely important and crucial era. As far as legendary works are concerned, the remains of the Song Dynasty are far superior to those of any previous era.
The achievement of figure painting in Song Dynasty was inferior to that in Tang Dynasty. However, in the field of landscape flower-and-bird painting, after a long period of brewing, the Tang and Five Dynasties became closer and closer, and the key to the climax of literati painting was also formed in the Song Dynasty. The change of aesthetic concept brought by literati painting is an important reason for the evolution of Chinese painting style. Song Dynasty is the heyday of landscape creation. The Northern Song Dynasty worshiped "Northern Sect" and inherited the green landscape of the Tang Dynasty and the panoramic landscape of Beijing officials.
By the Southern Song Dynasty, Li Liu Ma Xia's landscape painting style had changed. There is a "one-and-a-half" composition and a so-called "courtyard style" painting style. It is of great significance to the later landscape creation. Huang Fugui, written by Huang Quan and Huang Jucai, has always occupied the mainstream of the Academy of Painting and is highly respected by the court. Xu Xi's "wild escape" had to rely on folk development, and his grandson Xu Zongsi inherited his ancestral business and founded the "Boneless Law". Unique, in addition, Hui Zong Evonne's meticulous flower and bird is also a new creation. Painters in Song Dynasty created a large number of vivid and diverse fine arts on the basis of sketching. The variation of aesthetic consciousness brought by Yuan Dynasty inevitably had a far-reaching impact on the development of Chinese painting. The overall development trend of scroll painting style in Yuan Dynasty is to attach importance to the inheritance of ancient traditions and the innovation of ideas. The outstanding performance is that literati painting began to occupy a dominant position in the painting world. Therefore, a large number of works, such as dead wood, bamboo stone, Mei Lan, flowers and birds, are suitable for expressing the consciousness of literati painters, while the number of character story paintings is relatively reduced. With the prosperity of literati painting, poetry, books and paintings in painting works are further closely combined and become a common fashion. This strengthens the literary interest of Chinese painting and better embodies the national characteristics of Chinese painting.
At the same time, in the painting theory and creative practice, special emphasis is placed on the application of pen and ink skills, the charm of calligraphy in painting works is emphasized, painting is required to embody calligraphy, the deliberate pursuit of work and likeness is opposed, and the spirit likeness is advocated, and escape is the first. Pursue the ancient meaning and "morale" of the works and attach importance to the painter's subjective interest and the expression of thoughts and feelings. Zhao Mengfu and "Yuan Sijia" (4) are both practitioners of the above theory. Their artistic achievements also reflected the creative development of China's painting, which played a decisive role in the painting theory and creation in Ming and Qing Dynasties. China painting produced many schools in the Ming Dynasty, and each school formed its own system in creation and theory. The literati's freehand brushwork ink painting, represented by Wu Pai, has formed a new fashion on the basis of the meta-tradition. Landscape theme, emphasizing interest and elegance. After the Yuan Dynasty, freehand brushwork flowers and birds made bold innovations and outstanding changes, which had a far-reaching impact on later generations. "Ivy" ⑥ is a new style leader. At the end of Ming Dynasty, Dong Qichang put forward the theory of "North-South School" of literati painting, which advocated the supremacy of literati painting and had a far-reaching influence on the landscape painting style in Qing Dynasty. The painting art in Qing Dynasty continued the trend since Yuan and Ming Dynasties. Literati painting is increasingly occupying the mainstream of painting, and landscape painting and ink painting are popular. Under the influence of literati painting, more painters pursue the interest of pen and ink. In the early Qing Dynasty, the "Four Kings" (⑦) won the support of the royal family and became the orthodox painting circle. They took antique as the main theme, praised Dong Qichang and Yuan Sijia, and emphasized the charm of black painting, which had a profound skill and influenced the whole landscape painting circle in Qing Dynasty. At the same time, anti-traditional painters such as "Four Monks" and "Jinling School" headed by Gong Xian have sprung up in the south of the Yangtze River. Their art advocates expressing individuality, so their works are novel and unique, and their feelings are sincere. The "Four Monks" made the most outstanding contribution to the later generations and had the greatest influence. In the prosperous age of "Kang and Gan", court painting was very active with the support of the royal family. "Yangzhou Painting School" rose in Yangzhou, took over the banner of "anti-tradition" of Shi Tao and Zhu Da, and stood in the painting world with an innovative face. They love plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum and other themes, and their art has a far-reaching impact on modern flowers and birds. The style development of ancient Chinese painting in China is roughly the same. These can only record a tiny part of China's long-standing traditional culture. Many scroll paintings handed down through the ages have been destroyed by war and human activities. Only from these incomplete and precious works can we love our great national traditional culture.
note:
① Six methods: vivid charm, brushwork in bone, pictographic expression of things, shadow-matching, quotient position, displacement and imitation.
(2) Li Liema Xia: refers to Li Tang, Liu Songnian, Ma Yuan and Xia Qing, four painters of the Southern Song Dynasty Painting Academy.
(3) Boneless method: The method of expressing objects by changing the depth of color without ink lines is only applicable to Chinese painting.
④ Huang, Zhenwu, Ni Zan and Wang Meng were four literati painters in Yuan Dynasty.
⑤ Wu Pai: The literati painting school in Suzhou, China in the middle of Ming Dynasty, represented by Shen Zhou, Tang Yin and Qiu Mei.
⑥ Poplar and Ivy refer to Chen Daofu (No.Bai Yang) and Xu Wei (No.Ivy), two freehand brushwork flower and bird painters in Ming Dynasty.
⑦ Four Kings: landscape painters Wang Mingmin, Wang Jian and Wang in the early Qing Dynasty.
⑧ Four Monks: Hong Ren, Can, Shi Tao, four painters who sent people into exile in the early Qing Dynasty.
Bibliography: Encyclopedia of China Art Volume China Encyclopedia Publishing House 199 1 China Art History Teaching and Research Section, Department of Art History, Central Academy of Fine Arts; A Brief History of China Art Higher Education Press 1990. Yang et al., China Painting and Calligraphy, Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House 1990.