chinese art essay

Chinese Art – An Introductory Chinese Art History Guide

China is one of the largest countries in the world, it spans roughly over 9000 square kilometers and is populated by over 1.4 billion people. China is a large and vast country, which also means it has a rich history and culture. This article will explore various facts about Chinese art and culture. 

Table of Contents

• 1.1 The Beginnings of China: The Neolithic Age
• 1.2 A Brief Overview of the Chinese Dynasties
• 2.1 Characteristics of Chinese Art
• 2.2.1 Chinese Painting
• 2.2.2 Chinese Pottery
• 2.2.3 Other Chinese Artworks
• 3 Chinese Art: Then and Now
• 4.1 When Did Chinese Art First Occur?
• 4.2 What Are Some of the Main Forms of Chinese Art?
• 4.3 What Are the Characteristics of Chinese Art?
• 4.4 What Was Chinese Painting?

A Historical Overview of China

Chinese art history goes back to its prehistoric roots in ancient China artwork. For us to have a better understanding of ancient Chinese art we will provide a brief historical overview starting from the Neolithic period all the way through the numerous Dynasties that shaped not only Chinese politics and society, but the Chinese art culture.

The Beginnings of China: The Neolithic Age

When we look at the history of China, it dates to early prehistoric times (over two million years) when the fossils from what is referred to as the Peking Man, or Homo erectus pekinensis , were found in northern China in the Zhoukoudian Cave, which is in the Fangshan District in Beijing.

The Neolithic Age (New Stone Age) in China is also dated around 7000 BCE to 1700 BCE with various cultures that were mainly hunting and farming communities. They developed in other areas of community life, for example, building homes, using various tools, domestication of animals, as well as the production of pottery, which is a significant aspect of ancient China artwork.

A Brief Overview of the Chinese Dynasties

The first political and economic system in China’s history is said to have started when the first dynasties, or monarchies, were established. In total, there were 83 dynasties with over 500 emperors during China’s Imperial history.

Many sources state that it started with the Xia Dynasty around 2070 to 1600 BC, ruled by the emperor Yu the Great.

However, there is also minimal evidence left behind that can verify this dynasty’s existence and it has been described as a “mythical” dynasty. Furthermore, sources state it was invented by the Zhou Dynasty that ruled after the Shang Dynasty, which succeeded Xia (for simplification, it was the Xia Dynasty, then the Shang Dynasty, and then the Zhou Dynasty, but we will explore these further below). 

The Shang Dynasty (also known as the Yin Dynasty) ruled from 1600 to 1046 BCE with its roots in the Yellow River Valley. From various excavations, this dynasty’s existence has been verified as factual. The Yellow River is believed to be the second-longest river in China and was the originating source or “cradle” of the Chinese civilization. This age was marked by numerous advancements like writing, astronomy, maths, and what is sometimes understood as the “Early Bronze Age”.

The Zhou Dynasty ruled from around 1050 to 221 BCE, and they shared a lot of similarities with the previous Shang Dynasty. This period is also marked as being the “Late Bronze Age” of China. Another important political tool utilized and enforced during this period was the Mandate of Heaven. This was really a philosophy and belief system that Heaven ( Tian ) decided when a ruler would be overthrown and succeeded by the next rightful ruler. 

During this time, the philosophies of Confucius and Laozi also developed, respectively, Confucianism and Taoism. These philosophies became worldwide ways of thought, and are still present today.

The Zhou Dynasty ruled over 700 years and was one of the longest-ruling dynasties in ancient China’s history. It ended due to ensuing wars and conflict between the individual states and when the King was forced to flee to the eastern capital, Luoyi, the Eastern Zhou Dynasty developed (this was during 771 to 221 BCE). This period was further marked by the first half called the Spring and Autumn Period and the latter half called the Warring States Period (475 to 221 BCE).

The Qin Dynasty (221 to 206 BCE) developed from the conflicts during the Warring States period with King Zheng of Qin as the first emperor. The Qin Dynasty ruled for only a short period of time and ushered in new systems that organized the state and laid foundations that became the structure of the Chinese government. This was also the first imperial dynasty in China.

What was different about the Qin Dynasty was that it was centralized, with the ruling power being united compared to the previous powers dispersed among the different states that eventually warred with one another for power (as mentioned above). 

The Qin Dynasty fell after the death of the first emperor and the strife of civil war, the beginnings of the succeeding Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE) developed.

The Han Dynasty was ruled by Liu Bang, otherwise Emperor Gaozu of Han, and as the second imperial dynasty introduced many new developments in China. It was marked as a period of flourishing growth in various aspects, economically, as well as establishing new trade routes like the Silk Road, which reached as far as the Mediterranean.

The Han Dynasty was divided into the Western Han (202 BCE to 9 CE) and the Eastern Han (25 to 220 CE). There were over 20 emperors during this period with Emperor Wu being one of the longest to rule (over 50 years). When the Han Dynasty fell, there was a time of division between the states during the years 220 to 589 CE. This became known as the Three Kingdom period, ruled by the three states, Wu, Wei, and Shu. 

The period of division lasted around 400 years and was only reunified again by the Sui Dynasty (581 to 618 CE).

The Sui Dynasty was a short period, succeeded by the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 CE). The other dynasties that followed were, namely, Song Dynasty (960 to 1279 CE), the Yuan Dynasty (1271 to 1368 CE), the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644 CE), the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1911/12 CE), and then what marks China as the Modern period , from 1912 to the present day. The Republic of China was founded in 1912.

During all the imperial periods, there were significant changes to the development of China and periods of war and conflict that divided the states and reunified them again under imperial rule. The period of the division after the Han Dynasty is when the influence of the Buddhist religion developed and spread with many temples being built. 

The Tang Dynasty, for example, was marked as a Golden Age during China’s history with improved economic and military structures as well as a flourishing culture.

The Silk Road became a prosperous trade route that allowed cultures to exchange various goods like textiles, metals, and glass. This further developed and encouraged the creation of Chinese artwork in the form of pottery (ceramics) and painting.

What Is Chinese Art?

Chinese art history encompasses all the visual arts originating in China and produced by the Chinese cultures and artists. It is marked by many different types, ranging from Neolithic pottery to calligraphy, painting, poetry, porcelain, bronze work, jade carving, and many others. It begins from the Prehistoric age up to the present, Contemporary age. Traditional Chinese art shares commonalities, however, it was also produced differently within each dynasty, which are key distinguishing periods marking the progression of Chinese artwork.

Below, we will discuss some of the key characteristics underpinning Chinese artwork, as well as take a closer look at significant Chinese art through different modalities.

Characteristics of Chinese Art

The common underpinning characteristics that give Chinese art its nature come from philosophical, religious, and cultural beliefs. Chinese culture has always valued nature and its inherent significance. We will find that a wide variety of subject matter is often of natural elements, for example, foliage and plants like bamboo, flowers, animal life-like birds, as well as landscape depictions.

This inherent significance of nature revolved around a deeper belief in the spiritual aspects of life and the external world being a “manifestation” of that. Artists sought to depict the deeper meanings of life and the universe. This also ties in with the strong moral and ethical beliefs many artists had.

Calligraphy and landscape painting were two of the most important types (or “highest forms”) of Chinese artwork. Landscape painting would depict more ideal scenes of nature, sometimes these were not a true-to-nature reflection of the actual landscape.

For example, depictions of mountains would represent the idea of heaven as they move upwards towards higher aspects of nature and, ultimately, the spiritual. Other depictions would be to inspire people who looked at the artwork.

Chinese artists were followers of Confucianism, and their moral standpoints were reflected in their art. Chinese artwork sometimes appears simpler and more minimal in its depictions without the need to be bashful or overzealous about the artist’s talents or skills as an artist. Chinese artwork would often reflect the moral character of the artists themselves.

Another important point about Chinese painters and calligraphers is that most artists also had a strong scholarly background, in fact, it became a prerequisite to have knowledge of other artistic masters to be an artist.

Court art was another aspect of Chinese artwork, artists would often be commissioned by the patron or the Imperial court. This type of artwork would act as decoration for the interior of their palaces, various buildings, and tombs.

Types of Chinese Art

There were many contributing factors surrounding Chinese artwork and it is important to remember the evolution of these modalities throughout the different developments of each Dynasty and periods of conflict. Some modalities served different purposes and meanings.

As the ages progressed, artists would utilize different media and surfaces too. 

Chinese Painting

We have what is known in Chinese, wenfang sibao , or “Four Treasures of a Scholar’s Studio” – this was an important part of Chinese painters’ and calligraphers’ skills and toolsets. It consisted of paper, brushes, ink, and inkstone. It is said to have originated during 420 to 589 CE, during the Southern and Northern Dynasties.

However, the paintbrush as an artistic tool in Chinese art culture is believed to date all the way back to the Neolithic period and was utilized and considered as a creative tool during 476 to 221 BC, which is the time of the “Warring States” in Chinese history.

The way the paintbrush was made usually consisted of animal hair for the bristles, which would come from different animals giving varying degrees of thickness. This would then be attached to a stick, which would usually be bamboo.

Paintings were usually created on paper, which would then be mounted on silk. There were different types of ways paintings would be mounted, for example, scrolls in the form of hand or hanging scrolls, fans, leaves done as album leaves, among others. 

Hanging scrolls were vertical in shape and supported by wooden rods and strips as weights for the painting to be hung on a cord and stay open.

They were also able to fold up easily. Handscrolls were also usually rolled up and taken out to be viewed on special occasions. These would be viewed from right to left, as it is unrolled the various scenes would appear and viewers would take part in this as a ceremonial act.

An example is a hanging scroll simply titled, Mountain Landscape (c. 1600s), from the Ming Dynasty by Dong Qichang. It is 95.5 by 41 centimeters in size depicting a mountainous landscape with various vegetation. The painting is composed in a way where our eyes, as the viewers, are guided to move in an upwards direction towards the top tip of the mountain in the background (near the upper part of the hanging scroll). We also notice how the artist created depth to the painting by highlighting areas with darker shades of ink.

An example of a handscroll painting is from the later 1900s by Zhu Xiuli who repurposes a traditional Chinese art in his handscroll titled, Landscape (1985 to 1989). This is a reproduction of what we will see in traditional handscrolls. It depicts a landscape with houses and varying types of trees here and there. The image is depicted with smooth lines and dynamic fluidity.

Other forms of Chinese painting include fans, for example, Landscape in the Style of Yan Wengui (c. 1707) by Wang Hui, which was painted in the style of famous 10th-century painter Yan Wengui, and depicts classical landscape as a subject matter. We notice several trees to the left with a pavilion area to the right-hand side of the composition. There are also the characteristic ink markings that delineate the mountains in the background, and furthermore, the ink markings are horizontal and vertical in shape.

Next to the images, we also notice various calligraphic inscriptions decorating the middle left part of the fan, which are reported to be done by other artists alongside Wang Hui. Wang Hui was part of several other painters, the group was called the “Four Wangs”, who were from the Qing Dynasty period from 1644 to 1911.

Fans were usually made to be given as gifts with the typical landscape painting as its subject matter.

Similarly, there would also be inscriptions on the fans like the above-mentioned fan. The inscriptions would often vary as comments and notes from peers. There were also different types of fans, for example, some were made of stiffened silk and the other would be made of paper. These would be mounted between bamboo sticks as support.

Other examples of landscape paintings from one of the famous artists, Fan Kuan, who painted during the Song Dynasty from 960 to 1279 CE. Kuan is well known for his landscape paintings of mountains and the natural environments that he was inevitably inspired by. Many sources about him state that he lived as a recluse, away from the politics of conflict from what was the “Five Dynasties” period.

In his work titled, Travelers by Streams and Mountains (c. 1000 CE), there is an element of depicting the search for truth. The artist was also influenced by Neo-Confucian thought at the time, which revered a sense of truth that came from the natural world. The above-mentioned painting, which is in the format of a hanging scroll around 7 feet high.

The composition is divided into three aspects, namely, the large boulders in the foreground, the opening in the middle of the painting with various trees and outgrowths of foliage, and the background growing into tall mountains with its tips topped with bushy-like foliage.

There are various other details within this painting, which emphasize the scale of the mountains compared to the minute details.

For example, the men and donkeys in the bottom right corner, including the temple hidden between the trees. The scale of the figures against the scale of the towering mountains suggests the sheer vastness of Kuan’s landscape and its majestic qualities.

We will notice even more skill in the artist’s techniques to render the subject matter in as much detail as possible. There are varying degrees of thickness in the brushstrokes, we see this so delicately done in the mountain crevices. Additionally, the artist also utilized ink wash and dots to create the depiction of texture.

Another example is titled, Appreciating Potted Chrysanthemum in Tranquility by Ming dynasty artist Shen Zhou. This painting depicts a landscape with a gazebo standing to the far right of the horizontal composition.

There are four figures beneath the canopy, three of whom are sitting at a table and the fourth figure standing to the left holding a jug of sorts. Behind the canopy is a row of potted chrysanthemums. The remainder of the landscape is filled with trees. 

We will also notice the characteristic calligraphic inscriptions to the left of the painting, which are poems.

The painting, Eleven Dragons (c. 15 th Century), by Chen Rong of the Ming Dynasty period is another handscroll, which depicts eleven dragons along with the 16-foot-long scroll. The dragons are all depicted dynamically on mountain cliffs and clouds. 

The color of the dragons is monochromatic ink along with detailed lines delineating the forms and shapes. Dragons have been powerful symbols throughout ancient Chinese art and symbolize various qualities of strength like masculinity as well as attributes to imperial power or royalty and wisdom.

Chinese Pottery

Chinese pottery goes back all the way to the prehistoric period when it was utilized for utilitarian purposes as well as for burial purposes as many have been excavated from burial sites, known also as funerary jars. Chinese pottery has been throughout the ages, developing into many different styles and forms as traditional Chinese art. Neolithic pottery was also painted and decorated by carving bands of patterns into form. 

Chinese pottery also spans ceramics and porcelain. When we look at Chinese porcelain, we will find there is a vast array of delicately decorated pieces, a testament to the inherent artistic skill of this type of Chinese artwork. 

Blue and white porcelain was prevalent in China during the 1300s and was utilized in temples, these were also a widely made form of porcelain with a blue underglaze instead of a red underglaze. The red underglaze was also produced during the Yuan Dynasty (1279 to 1368 CE).

When we look at some of the examples, we will notice various designs and patterns on different types of vessels. The Blue and White Porcelain Jug (c. early 15 th Century), from the Ming Dynasty, depicts floral patterns painted on most of the jug. The jug has a large belly, which tapers into a wider neck and opening (it is believed the jug also had a lid).

Chinese art history almost does not seem complete without mentioning the famous Terracotta Army warriors from the tomb of the first Chinese emperor during the Qin Dynasty (c. 210 BCE) – masterpieces of Chinese sculpting to this day. The warriors were found in Lintong County in the Shaanxi Province during 1974 in “pits” or underground chambers that were dug up by farmers.

They were discovered as various terracotta fragments, which turned out to be an entire army of terracotta warriors made to protect the tomb (mausoleum) of the Qin Emperor.

The figures were all varied in their size and stature and there were also horses, chariots, and an assortment of other figures like musicians and strongmen, which were believed to be entertainers for the emperor in the afterlife. Some of the more important figures like generals were sculpted as taller than other figures that were warriors. In other words, the size would indicate the “role”.

The terracotta warriors give us some interesting facts about Chinese art, it is indicated that there were around 8, 000 figures of soldiers with sources reporting that even more figures have been found, over 100 chariots, and over 600 horses.

Not only is this one of the largest archaeological finds in history, but it is also considered the eighth wonder of the world.

The creation of this vast terracotta army is estimated to have taken around 40 years to complete with around 700 000 people who worked towards its completion. The detail of each terracotta figure is another testament to the skill of ancient Chinese art and Chinese sculpting. When we look at each figure, we will notice that each one is individualized and sculpted in fine detail, from facial features to clothing. When they were discovered, some terracotta figures still had remnants of color from the paint that was on them.

Other Chinese Artworks

Ancient Chinese art is not limited to only calligraphy and painting, there are multitudes of other art forms within the history of Chinese arts. Some notable modalities also include Chinese ritual bronzes, which were made as part of graves. There is a significant collection of these bronzes all made with incredible skill and craftsmanship.

The bronzes were also made in different shapes and forms, for example, some were in the shape of different animals.

Apart from the primary utilization for ritual, bronzes were also made for other reasons. It is reported that during the Song Dynasty bronzes were made for different reasons, such as vessels for water, wine, food, sacrifice, measurements, weapon containers, musical instruments, and others.

Chinese Art: Then and Now

Chinese art certainly has evolved since prehistory and to this day it is still going strong. In 1949 China became a republic and art was created in a way that celebrated various governmental structures. The types of art included paintings, posters, ceramics, woodblock prints, and various other propaganda-driven artwork.

Due to other conflicts during the 1900s, Chinese art was stifled in its expression, however, since the 1980s there has been a new expansion and freedom of expression for China art. There has been more experimentation with new modalities and techniques, as well as making art for the Chinese culture, revisiting traditional Chinese art modalities.

Chinese art is a continental art, it spans the whole of China and has been a creation of the hearts and minds of its people. From the earliest fossil finds to the latest contemporary Chinese art, it has reached the rest of the world in many ways, but undoubtedly has left its imprint as one of the biggest art movements in the world of art history.

Take a look at our Chinese art overview webstory here!

Frequently Asked Questions

When did chinese art first occur.

Chinese art occurred as early as the Neolithic Age (New Stone Age) dated around 7000 BCE to 1700 BCE. The history of China dates to early prehistoric times (over two million years) when the fossils from what is referred to as the Peking Man, or Homo erectus pekinensis , were found in northern China in the Zhoukoudian Cave, which is in the Fangshan District in Beijing. Chinese art has evolved up until the present times and has developed new contemporary modalities and techniques reaching across the entire art world. 

What Are Some of the Main Forms of Chinese Art?

Calligraphy, Painting, and Poetry were some of the main forms of Chinese art. These were also referred to as the “Three Perfections”. Artists would often utilize and combine the three modalities to create artworks. Calligraphy was an important part of the Chinese art culture as it was, and is, handwriting, and with this meticulous care and intention goes into writing it. Poetry and writing poetry were also important prerequisites for certain examinations.  

What Are the Characteristics of Chinese Art?

The common characteristics that give Chinese art its nature come from philosophical, religious, and cultural beliefs. Chinese culture has always valued nature and its significance. A variety of subject matter is often of natural elements, for example, foliage and plants like bamboo, flowers, animal life-like birds, as well as landscapes of mountains and rivers.  Furthermore, religion and moral beliefs from Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism were important influencing factors to how artists created art and its underlying meaning. Additionally, the court was also an influencing factor in how people created art and the purpose it served.

What Was Chinese Painting?

Ancient Chinese landscape painting was one of the primary forms of painting, and is often also described as the “highest” form of painting. Artists would depict landscapes with mountainous areas and rivers, in fact, the Chinese word for landscape consists of two characters that mean “mountains and water”. Paintings were usually also created on paper, which would then be mounted on silk. The painting was also done like calligraphy, for example, the paintbrush was dipped in pigments of varying colors of ink. There were also two techniques in Chinese paintings, namely, “ Gongbi ” (meaning “meticulous”) and “Ink and Wash”. There were different types of ways paintings would be mounted, for example, scrolls in the form of hand or hanging scrolls, fans, and album leaves. 

Isabella studied at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English Literature & Language and Psychology. Throughout her undergraduate years, she took Art History as an additional subject and absolutely loved it. Building on from her art history knowledge that began in high school, art has always been a particular area of fascination for her. From learning about artworks previously unknown to her, or sharpening her existing understanding of specific works, the ability to continue learning within this interesting sphere excites her greatly.

Her focal points of interest in art history encompass profiling specific artists and art movements, as it is these areas where she is able to really dig deep into the rich narrative of the art world. Additionally, she particularly enjoys exploring the different artistic styles of the 20 th century, as well as the important impact that female artists have had on the development of art history.

Learn more about Isabella Meyer and the Art in Context Team .

Cite this Article

Isabella, Meyer, “Chinese Art – An Introductory Chinese Art History Guide.” Art in Context. November 22, 2021. URL: https://artincontext.org/chinese-art/

Meyer, I. (2021, 22 November). Chinese Art – An Introductory Chinese Art History Guide. Art in Context. https://artincontext.org/chinese-art/

Meyer, Isabella. “Chinese Art – An Introductory Chinese Art History Guide.” Art in Context , November 22, 2021. https://artincontext.org/chinese-art/ .

Similar Posts

Artist Statement Examples – A Look at Famous Artist Statements

Texture in Art – Exploring the Element of Texture in Art

Schizophrenia Art – The Relationship Between Art and Mental Illness

Art Periods – A Detailed Look at the Art History Timeline

Repetition in Art – What Is Repetition in Art and How Is It Used?

Medieval Art – Visual and Literary Arts of the Middle Ages

One comment.

The Confuscius piece that is shown in this article is done by Yano Tan’yu as marked in the essay. He was Japanese and painted for the Tokugawa Shogunate. I think it should be noted by the author that piece shown in an article about chinese art is not chinese.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

The Most Famous Artists and Artworks

Discover the most famous artists, paintings, sculptors…in all of history! 

MOST FAMOUS ARTISTS AND ARTWORKS

Discover the most famous artists, paintings, sculptors!

Chinese Art’s Definition, Influence and History Essay

Definition and influence of art.

Art is composed of various human activities that require specific skills for instance music, literature, sculpture amongst others. Each community is endowed with its unique forms of art and which can be traced back sometimes across many years in history.

Art also offers a glimpse into a people’s way of social life and this gives rise to social criticism. It is important to note that in each social setting, politics in that particular area can have adverse influence in any form of art arising thereby.

This paper discusses the influence of politics in line with both contemporary and modern Chinese art. In addition, the paper discusses the relationship between western ideologies such as social criticism and Chinese art.

Chinese art in 1949 – the Foundation of Peoples republic of China

Chinese art spans over a range of centuries like the Neolithic period and the modern era and has experienced changes as time went by (Fenollosa 5). Chinese art has undergone many changes since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

Many of the changes have mainly been due to the influence of communistic ideologies such as Marxist-Maoist as well as other events that have taken place in China ever since. This fact is evident if one has a glimpse of the chronology of events in mainland China from its inception up to date (Andrews 34).

Political influence in Chinese art – Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping

Chinese art has also had its fair share of influence by politics as in many other arts in other civilizations. As already mentioned, China earlier years were under the leadership of Mao Zedong’s Communist Party of China; and it is worth mentioning that these two aspects (the leader and the party) had immense influence on Chinese art.

According to Michael Sullivan Art in China Since 1949 observations, Mao Zedong leadership exerted a tight control over Chinese cultural life for almost thirty years (Sullivan 334). This in turn made art in that particular period to be a reflection or an expression of the political forces in charge.

In particular, Mao had earlier on made considerable efforts to ensuring that art “served the people” as evidenced in his contribution in “Talks at the Yan’an Conference on Literature and Art” in 1942 (Yang 14).

Thus, he had begun what would become the influence of art in subsequent revolutions and education systems of China in latter days. It is important to note that Mao encouraged people to offer their art skills to the nation to the extent of seeking knowledge from other western nations. Beginning the early 1950s, many Chinese artists sought training in the Soviet Union as well as in eastern bloc countries.

The two important periods in Chinese art – Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution

Historical periods such as the Great Leap Forward era in late 1950s and the Cultural Revolution of 1966-1976 had much greater impact on Chinese art (Latham 12). During the Great Leap for instance, the government had encouraged creation of new culture of communication in which goals and ideologies could be imparted on the Chinese people.

Traditional art led to new and realistic ways of expression for instance when ink painting was replaced by oil painting: ink painting had been around for the last one thousand years.

The subjects of art also became changed from traditional concepts of using nature – flowers, landscape etc to themes featuring soldiers, workers and heroes. This aspect continued during the Cultural Revolution albeit with some significant catastrophes especially when traditional artists became subjects of ridicule and even faced persecution.

Following this dreadful period, many upcoming and young artists endeavored to seek new voices and opportunities so that their works conformed to the whims of the ruling class and their ideologies. It is important to note that art and politics became so closely entwined during Cultural Revolution than at any other time in Chinese history.

Despite the many struggles, Chinese art continued to experience changes even after the revolution as other events took place. The death of Mao marked a significant stage whereby China finally “opened up” to the world and so did their artists, which of course led to far much greater influence by western ideologies.

Western influence in Chinese art

The western influence on Chinese art dates back to the late 17 th Century. The impact was however minimal though it peaked in the 19 th and 20 th Centuries; and especially since the foundation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 (Mungello 71).

Many traditional artists copied Western styles although they did this without full comprehension and hence such attempts were sometimes unsuccessful. On the other hand, Chinese art made considerable effect on surrounding cultures like in the Muslim and Western Europe worlds.

In China itself, outside influence was discouraged under the Communism rule, which generally preferred graphical arts in the light of it being useful in political propaganda. Such government restriction saw the emergence of unique artist for example Ch’eng Shih-fa and Li K’o-jan. In spite of this phenomenon, other Chinese artists working outside China reveal Western influence; Chao Wu-chi in France and C. C. Wang in New York are notable examples.

Chinese art came to world’s limelight in 1978 at the National Gallery in Beijing. This event also offered a new form of critical realism towards Chinese art that was unheard of during the Cultural Revolution.

Following the succession Mao Zedong by Deng Xiaoping, Chinese artists began to question Maoist ideologies and at the same time sought to create a new form of art that bore western aesthetic ideologies.

In a similar fashion to the Western world, self-taught groups like the Star (Xing xing) and the Scar Painting (Shanghen huihua) emerged and became critical of the earlier Chinese art. Social criticism began to take shape under their numerous exhibition works in a move that was alien to China; challenging political authority as well as aesthetic conventions.

The Stars for instance embraced western styles in art such as Abstract Expressionism and Post Impressionism as part of the newly found freedom. Rustic realism, a concept whereby focus is on the Revolution impact to ordinary people, became another favorite way of expression and which had western origin (Gau 197).

In all these endeavors, Chinese art changed drastically in the 1980s mainly due to western influences. However, the transition was never always without hitch since the authorities in power formed anti-campaigns to reduce the influence. Some like the Anti-Spiritual pollution Campaign of 1982-1984 labored hard to condemn westernizing Chinese art and the consequential contaminating influence.

Despite the hardships, many more westernized arts from Italy and France found their way into Beijing exhibitions and thus increasingly influenced Chinese art.

The ’85 Movement

In 1984 for instance, the government tried to resurrect control of western influence at the Sixth National Art Exhibition held at the Beijing’s National Gallery. This however did not augur well with young Chinese artists who would later on form the ’85 Movement, and which was very vocal in relation to breaking from the government’s restraint.

During this period, avant-gardism flourished in all Chinese arts including in music, dance, film and literature aided by the common goal of shunning antagonism and breaking from traditional grip. They also embraced freedom of expression, individualism and western styles like pop and surrealism.

Notable among the pioneers of western influence in Chinese art were Li Xiaoshan, an art critic, who published “The End and Death of Chinese Painting” and a westerner Robert Rauschenberg who delivered lectures in Beijing. These and many others comprising the ’85 Movement saw new schools of thought emerge as well as breaking free from any authority or doctrine.

It is interesting to note that despite the success of the Movement, the political authorities almost triumphed through the “bourgeois liberalism”; a campaign to oust avant-garde formed in 1987 (Davis 233). The Communist Party also played it part in hindering Chinese-art-western-influence by reducing financial support hence artist could not sell their work unless they moved out of China.

Fortunately, the anti campaigns ended in 1988 paving way for emergence of new artists with westernized approach to art. The following year saw the outbreak of protests notably the Tiananmen Square Protest that led to democracy in China but resulted in tighter control by the government on Chinese artists. A number of artists were left with no option but to leave China and hence the world was exposed the Chinese art which it received warmly.

Modern Chinese art

In 1992, Guangzhou launched an exhibition that amplified avant-garde artists since the protests and which promoted social realism. Themes such as materialism and consumerism found their way into Chinese art mainly due to the aspect of globalization and the western influence.

Up to the late 1990s, many Chinese art exhibitions within and away from China helped sell Chinese art internationally and also bring about new ideologies in what was once a very controlled Chinese art. The trend has continued in the recent past whereby contemporary Chinese art has made it in to international exhibition as well as being valuable.

The authorities have also lessened their control and even continued to provide infrastructure such that China is now recognized as an art center amongst other countries (Croizier 4).

As already discussed, Chinese art has not been left behind in term of it being under certain influences. The most notable have been both political and the western ideologies since these two have contributed to the way Chinese art has fared in modern times.

On the political side, the authorities in China tried very much to influence Chinese art by confining it so that it mainly dwelt on the governments ideologies. This is the reason Chinese art could not flourish internationally at first since it only served the Chinese leaders and their affiliations. Fortunately, the Chinese artists wanted more than this and fought hard to seek freedom so that they could express themselves better.

On the side of western influence, we observe that Chinese art solely moving from traditional concepts which expressed art in natural subjects to more modern abstract forms. This was as a result of Chinese artists desire to know how other cultures were treating art.

Beginning with embracing other artist’s ideas and integrating them with Chinese art, a more robust form of art emerged in China. These new concepts and ideologies helped much in propelling Chinese art in to new heights including international recognition.

In addition, that which was originally considered as valueless Chinese art has in modern times become valuable and hence artists can make a living out of art. It has also helped Chinese art to be part of lucrative business the art collection is.

In all these discussions, Chinese art has had a social impact on the Chinese people. From the foundation of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949 to date, we can see the many forms in which Chinese art has shaped people’s lives. This can be seen on the impact traditional art had on people in that the Chinese loved their surrounding and hence used ink to paint landscapes, flowers and animals.

Later on, the authorities encouraged Chinese art to paint peoples heroes, soldiers and workers. Even though they were restraining freedom of art, the Chinese people were made to recognize the important figures in China whom they could try to emulate. Ironically, the same form of art at the time led to protests, which saw normal people, and artists alike seek other forms of social life (Barnhart & Cahill 25).

In conclusion, Chinese art has undergone much change from what it once was to something entirely new. Much of the changes have been due to political and western influences. This has resulted to a better China where Chinese art can stand proudly amongst those of other civilizations.

Works Cited:

Andrews, Julia F. Painters and Politics in the People’s Republic of China: 1949 – 1979 . Berkeley [u.a.: Univ. of California Press, 1994. Print.

Croizier, Ralph C. Art and Revolution in Modern China: The Lingnan (cantonese) School of Painting, 1906-1951 , Berkeley: University of California Press, 1988. Print.

Edward Lawrence Davis. Encyclopedia of contemporary Chinese culture Taylor & Francis, Feb 11, 2005. Print

Fenollosa, Ernest. Epochs of Chinese and Japanese Art: An Outline History of East Asiatic Design . Berkeley, Calif: SBP, Stone Bridge Press, 2007. Internet resource.

Gau, Minglu. Inside/out: New Chinese Art , California: University of California Press, 1999. Print.

Latham, Kevin. Pop Culture China!: Media, Arts, and Lifestyle , Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2007. Print.

Mungello, D E. The Great Encounter of China and the West, 1500-1800 , Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009. Print.

Richard Barnhart and James Cahill, et al. “Three Thousand Years of Chinese Painting.” New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002

Sullivan, Michael. Art and Artists of Twentieth Century China , Berkeley [u.a.: Univ. of California Press, 1996. Print.

Yang, Lan. Chinese Fiction of the Cultural Revolution , Hong Kong: Hong Kong Univ. Press, 1998. Print.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2019, May 7). Chinese Art's Definition, Influence and History. https://ivypanda.com/essays/chinese-art-2/

"Chinese Art's Definition, Influence and History." IvyPanda , 7 May 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/chinese-art-2/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'Chinese Art's Definition, Influence and History'. 7 May.

IvyPanda . 2019. "Chinese Art's Definition, Influence and History." May 7, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/chinese-art-2/.

1. IvyPanda . "Chinese Art's Definition, Influence and History." May 7, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/chinese-art-2/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Chinese Art's Definition, Influence and History." May 7, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/chinese-art-2/.

• Jackson Pollock`s Action Painting “Number 1, 1949“
• The History of Revolution in China 1919-1949
• The Reasons behind the Success of the 1949 Communist Revolution in China
• Struggle to Transform China 1949
• Chinese Women in Post-1949 Literature and Society
• The American Movie Industry Since 1949
• The CCP Influence on Women’s Liberation after 1949
• A Representation of Chinese Women the Post-1949 Literature on the Status of Women
• A Glimpse at the Underlying Values of Modern Culture
• “China in Revolution, 1911-1949”
• Art and Design Analysis
• Visual Arts in Pre-historic Greek Artworks
• Roman and Greek Art
• Four Scenes from the Life of Buddha
• Midterm Questions: Interpreting the Role of Artwork with Reference to Bourriaud’s Relational Form

Chinese Art Essay

Different forms of art have swayed under the encouragement of great philosophers, teachers, religious figures and even political figures. Fine art, folk art and performance art were main components of Chinese arts. Chinese calligraphy and painting, which acted and advanced in tandem, are the directorial power of China 's fine arts. They embody China's humanist spirit, and are unparalleled in the arts of the world. China has the ultimate antique calligraphic tradition. Calligraphy has its base in writing, primary recognized form of Chinese writing, consist of primitive pictographs, has been created and engraved on 5000-year-old Neolithic pottery shards. The Chinese system of writing that use pictographs in place of alphabets, has been in presence …show more content…

Chinese architectures are models as hallmark of the great culture for over 2,000 years. There are definite features which are common to Chinese architecture, irrespective of particular region or use. The most significant is its prominence on width, as well as the wide, one of prominent example is halls of the Forbidden City. There are many building which is a great expression of the Chinese pursuit of harmony between Heaven and mortals. The Temple of Heaven, the Circular Mound Altar, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses, Civilian Residential Housing, they displays us the respect with awe and gratitude. And if we learn Chinese cultures more, we can learn how to decorate our garden even park’s garden. Chinese garden arts are also interesting and helpful. Through the Chinese culture we can build more beautiful and unique buildings. An additional significant feature is symmetry, which signifies a sense of grandeur as it relates to everything from palaces to farmhouses. One distinguished exception is in the design of gardens, which inclines to be as asymmetrical as conceivable. Alike Chinese scroll paintings, the norm underlying the garden's composition is to build enduring flow, to make the patron wander and enjoy the garden without prescription, as in nature herself. Feng shui has a significant part in structural

National Art Honor Society Research Paper

Of my many volunteer and paid extra-curricular activities, the most important to me is the National Art Honor Society, which extends artistic activities to my community. We organize two school events: the Festival of Trees and the Talent Competition. The Festival of Trees is an event when every school club can choose to donate and decorate a tree that we set up. All of the money raised goes to an organization of our choice. For the last 4 years, we have donated to Street Grace, which benefits the fight against human trafficking, especially in the Metro Atlanta area.

Significant Advancements During The Tang And Song Dynasties

During this period, China experienced a cultural renaissance with the flourishing of poetry, painting, calligraphy, and sculpture. Tang poets, such as Li Bai and Du Fu, are still celebrated for their profound and lyrical works, which capture the essence of Chinese culture and society. The development of

John C Calhoun Monument Essay

Poetically speaking, the layout of a monument aesthetically

Vik Muniz: The Problem In Waste Land

Paintings, prints, drawing, crafts, photography are all forms of art which many artists specialize and utilize to display their creativity, sometimes bring awareness to certain social issue and also exploit the less fortunate for their fame. Some well-known artists like Vik Muniz in the

How Does Daoist Influence Chinese Art?

There are many Daoist influences to be seen in the Chinese art. Chinese paintings often include common themes from the Daodejing: the infinity, flow, and mystery of nature. To be more specific, the book’s images of the flowing river, the valley, or the uncarved block of stone are some of the typical elements in such paintings. Another significant field of art influenced by Daoism is poetry. Chinese poetry frequently recalls themes found in the Daodejing and the Zhuangzi: the joy of life in the countryside, away from the rushed atmosphere of the city; the change of seasons; harmony with nature; and general simplicity.

Along The River During The Daoisming Festival Analysis

The Chinese Paintings shows the Daoism/ Taoism in the people of China, especially, the famous landscape paintings such as “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” of Zhang Zeduan. Daoism is often interpreted as a person living a simply, honestly, and in harmony with nature. Along the River During the Qingming Festival captures the daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today’s Kaifeng in Henan. The theme celebrates the festive spirit and prosperous street scene at the Qingming Festival, rather than the holiday’s ceremonial aspects, such as tomb sweeping and prayers (comuseum.com, chinahighlights.com). The scene from the collection of this paintings shows the simple and honest life in the capital by remembering

Mingo Culture Essay

The Mingo were a highly developed culture and though displaced by Europeans, they have retained many of their customs and beliefs. This Native American tribe continues to show many aspects of its ancestry through daily practices and its religious and social structures even with European influence and displacement to reservations. A part of everyday life for Mingo Indians was the clothes that they wore. The men of the tribe wore breechcloths with leggings, and the women of the tribe usually wore kilts, wore wraparound skirts, short leggings, and overdresses.

Shang Dynasty Essay

Lastly, Historians have demonstrated that this Dynasty has already developed the principles of modern writing techniques. In fact, Chinese literature has undergone relatively limited amounts of change since it was first developed. Documents were initially

The Garden In Voltaire's Candide

In the novel Candide written by Voltaire, one of the main motifs is the garden. It has been mentioned multiple times throughout the book. The first garden was the Castle of baron Thunder-Ten- Tronckh, there is the garden of Eldorado, and Candide's final garden. As a main motif, the garden symbolizes people's lives and how they must nurture them to have a good outcome. The garden is used cleverly throughout the novel to convey an optimistic moral about the importance of gardens' cultivation that determines the life and fate of the characters.

The Pros And Cons Of Biophilic Design

Though this may seem as a simple objective, two main limitations stand in the way of achieving it. The first is the limited understanding of the human attachment/inclination towards nature. In spite of the growing body of research (Appleton, 1975; Kellert, 2005a; Heerwagen, 2005; Biederman & Vessel, 2006), still it is not clear why certain natural forms and settings arouse positive feelings in human beings. The second limitation is the difficulty of translating this limited -but growing- knowledge in architectural terms; form, form making principles, form language, structural systems…etc. (Alexander, 2001-2005; Salingaros & Bruce, 1999; Kellert,

Vaux-Le-Vicomte Case Analysis

The man who invented the French formal-style garden improved the optical illusion approach, which resulted in the infinite space sensation. As you walk its terraced gardens, you’ll discover ponds, flower beds and geometric patterns (featuring various shapes) previously concealed from an ordinary eye. So, once you leave the chateau encircled by a water canal, take your time to explore the splendid gardens dotted with sculptures, fountains, additional canals, alleys and hidden paths. As you make your way through majestic gardens, you’ll discover huge amphorae with flowers, sculptures inspired with mythological events (abduction of Europe by Zeus, for example), deities or people (Hercules), wild animals (lions), etc. As you approach the hill from which the huge statue of Hercules oversees the chateau and the gardens, you’ll discover grottos symbolizing different things.

Art Integration Essay

Introduction Visual and performing arts tend to act as separate entities within the field of education; considerably isolated from the majority of academia, these sectors are often considered to be secondary or elective options after completing primary education. The arts are an essential part of a well-rounded education, however, when an institute begins a budgeting process, the arts are rarely considered a top priority. For example, during periods of recession many public schools within the United Stated were forced to cut visual, performing and musical arts programs, despite studies that proved the exposure to the arts to be beneficial for students both academically and in extracurricular activities. Learning in an art-infused environment

Descriptive Essay On Drawing

Descriptive Essay I have never thought that drawing would help me out in life until I tried it. The interest started when I was in second grade when I saw one of my best friends drawing. I am thankful for her, she is the one who taught me to be patient and practice makes perfect. It gets a little frustrating and overwhelming when your interest is there, but you are not good at it.

Chinese Calligraphy Research Paper

Chinese Calligraphy is not just writing to the people of China, but for hundreds of years it has been seen as a supreme form of art. The first writings were so old that they are not even written on paper. The people of China have had a special connection with their writing for over a thousand years, and for many hundred of those they have judge their artwork based off of calligraphy. All of the art work would have to be judged on something entirely

Essay On Chinese Culture

The traditional Chinese cultures have a development process for thousand years, now we are creating another kind of traditional culture especially under the wave of globalization. Although the form of expressing or performing the culture experienced some changes but the basic idea and belief behind rarely changed. To promote Chinese culture we would refer to the essence of Chinese wisdom so the following is actual practicing of different dimensions of Chinese traditions which show the beauty of China. The family concept is the essence of Chinese culture.

More about Chinese Art Essay

Related topics.

• Han Dynasty
• Tang Dynasty
• Confucianism
• Chinese philosophy
• Song Dynasty

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

• We're Hiring!
• Help Center

Modern Chinese Art: Narrativizing Western Influence and Chinese Response in the Modern Era

2019, The Waterfall and the Fountains

In this essay the author lays a foundation for constructing a narrative model, which aims at rewriting the development of Chinese art in modern times, especially, in the first half of the 20th century. Building this model, the author primarily emphasizes the importance of context, which consists of external and internal aspects, with multiple layers within each aspect. With this model, the author examines the fundamental change to Chinese art in the early 20th century, and throughout the century as well, and proposes a reinterpretation as the main thesis: the interaction of Western influence and Chinese response has shaped the development of Chinese art in modern times. As the preliminary result of Chinese response since the early 20th century, a great divergence occurred in modern Chinese art, splitting it into two mainstreams: Chinese-style art and Western-style art, with a sub-split in each. Running two mainstreams forward side by side is the uniqueness of the development of modern Chinese art, and the uniqueness reveals the Chinese anxiety of cultural and national identity, which is the drive behind the Chinese response to Western influence.

Related Papers

Massimo Leone , Bruno Surace

Geographically and anthropologically distant cultures inspire awe and fascination: for centuries, Europe and China, the West and the East, have fantasized about each other, longed for journeying toward each other, mutually projected onto each other their own alter egos. Modern innovation in the transport of people, goods, and especially cultural contents in digital form, has increasingly narrowed the distance between these two geographic and human poles. Today, China is everywhere in the West, and vice versa. Yet, facility of access is not always tantamount to in-depth comprehension. Century-long differences, prejudices, and asymmetries still persist. Comprising the essays of several specialists in cultural theory and analysis, both from Europe and China, the volume seeks to uncover the semiotic formula underpinning the encounter, the dialogue, but also the clash between Western and Eastern aesthetics, especially in the neglected field of popular culture and arts. The title hints at the Chinese fascination for waterfalls and the natural flowing of the elements, compared with the European attraction to fountains as exploit of technological mastery over nature: each chapter in the volume focuses on as many aesthetic dialectics, spanning from literature to painting, from videogames to food.

Signs and Media

This article outlines a narratological study of art history, discussing how to tell the story of art while telling the story. With this twofold purpose in mind, the author in this article draws the grande ligne of a narrative model on the one hand and proposes a historical argument about modern Chinese art on the other. The former aims at breaking down the boundary between intrinsic and extrinsic studies of art history, whereas the latter aims at proposing a main thesis about modern Chinese art. For the main thesis, the author argues that the development of Chinese art in the twentieth and the early twenty-first centuries is primarily determined by the interaction between the influence of Western art and the Chinese responses to the influence, and the response is driven by the Chinese anxiety of cultural identity over the last one hundred years. Although the topic of this article is centralized around modern Chinese art, the theorization of the methodological approach is to generalize the narrative model for the study of not only art history but also visual culture, critical theory, and relevant disciplines in the humanities.

Amanda S Wangwright

The first monograph devoted to women artists of the Republican period, The Golden Key recovers the history of a groundbreaking yet forgotten force in China's modern art world. Through its detailed examination of the lives and careers of six female artists—Guan Zilan, Qiu Ti, Pan Yuliang, Fang Junbi, Yu Feng, and Liang Baibo—this book argues that women were central to the emergence of modernist art in early twentieth-century China and to the nation’s larger modernization project. Amanda S. Wangwright’s analysis of a wealth of primary sources demonstrates how these women constructed public personas, negotiated space within art societies, applied feminist thought to their artistic praxis, and surmounted obstacles to their careers—wielding art as the “golden key” to professional advancement and gender equality. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher.

Sabine Eckmann

L01 Art-Arch 106 First-Year Seminar: Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde This first-year seminar focuses on the art and career of Vincent Van Gogh and his relationship to artists of the 1880s in France. We explore his art in connection with the movements of Immpressionism, Japonism and Symbolism. We examine the avant-garde world of Paris as well as Van Gogh's relationship to such figures as Gauguin, Bernard, and Toulouse-Lautrec. The larger current of fin-de-siecle nostalgia for the countryside informs our study of Van Gogh's work in the south of France. Van Gogh's life and the critical reception of his art offer an excellent opportunity to study how the legends of modern art are formed. Visits to the Saint Louis Art Museum will complement our study. Readings include the artist's letters, critical studies, and biographies of Van Gogh and key figures in his circle. There are no prerequisites for this course, but completion of L01 113 or co-enrollment in L01 215 is recommende...

Chinese Art Modern Expressions

Eugene Y Wang

Roy Forward

M.A. Paper at FSU

Wyatt Haywood

In this paper I wish to explore the large swatches of solid color that are exhibited in various Italic wall paintings, from the strikingly early Etruscan Tomb of the Ducks to the distinguishing feature of the Third Pompeiian Style. These fields are most often black, white, yellow, and red; four colors that Pliny the Elder labels as special in his history of painting. In many cases, these color fields act as large borders and backgrounds to small narrative scenes, which Nathaniel Jones argues to be mimicries of Greek Panel painting. I will argue that these color fields function as a tool of focalization (after Mieke Bal’s Narratology), mediating the interaction between the viewer and the narrative. This mediation serves to indicate to the viewer that the scenes they are witnessing take place in a space separate from the reality they inhabit. Functioning as tools of liminality, they lead the viewer into a fabula, or story.

Filozofski Vestnik : Aleš Erjavec, Tyrus Miller eds. MODERISM REVISITED

Misko Suvakovic

Contemporary Israel: Languages, Society, Culture. Moscow: IOS RAS. Eds. Elena Nosenko-Stein and Dennis Sobolev

Liliya Dashevski

The New Barbizon is the name of an Israeli art group created in 2011 by five artists: Zoya Cherkassky-Nnadi, Anna Lukashevsky, Olga Kundina, Asya Lukin and Natalia Zourabova. All had immigrated to Israel from the Former Soviet Union, and except for Kundina had abandoned realist painting. In 2011 the artists joined forces and started painting together from observation, en plein air. This article examines the formation of the New Barbizon group in relation to its Soviet and Russian background, as well as to Israeli art. Taking Hayden White's literary approach to history, the paper proposes that the group's mutual works create an artistic tragisatire of Israeli reality.

Michael A . Michael

This paper will look at the use of particular design elements and the transfer of images from illuminated manuscripts, panel and wall painting, architecture and stained glass to embroidered vestments in England between c. 1250-1350. The form that embroidered images take will be examined in relation to these media and an attempt will be made to understand the process by which one medium is translated into another. Questions will be asked about the messages that the decorative forms convey by framing and other devices. The paper will also look at how Christian iconography when used in different media goes through a process of reinforcement re-doubling the signification of concepts and altering their function through this transformation. .

RELATED PAPERS

lola jimenez-blanco

Francesca Dal Lago

Narratology

José Angel García Landa , Susana Onega

barbara echave

Ágnes Balajthy

Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art

Trace Retrace: Paintings, Nilima Sheikh

Kumkum Sangari

Transcultural Studies

James Elkins

Catherine Dossin

The Journal of Art Historiography

Orianna Cacchione

Behnam M Fomeshi

Parapolitics: Cultural Freedom and the Cold War.

Paz Guevara

Gunther Martens

Ana Teixeira Pinto , Sladja Blazan

jenny siung , Aoife K Keogh

Filippo Pennacchio

Abd Alsttar Alshawi

Journal of Art Historiography

Ludwig Qvarnström

Rethinking Visual Narratives from Asia: Intercultural and Comparative Perspectives

Alexandra Green

Figen Kubilay

Shelley Hawks

YiShu: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art, Volume 18, Number 5

Elizabeth Berkowitz

Russian Review

Kirill Chunikhin

Shane McCausland

Daniel R. Schwarz

andrew johnson

mohamed hichem

Emmanuel Arkolakis

sibila petlevski

Zeljko Luketic

Asato Ikeda

Katharine P . Burnett

Selva: A Journal of the History of Art

Daniel Spaulding

Michaela Pejčochová

RELATED TOPICS

•   We're Hiring!
•   Help Center
• Find new research papers in:
• Health Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Cognitive Science
• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Academia ©2024

Chinese Art Essay

Confucianism In Chinese Art

Chinese art is one of the oldest continuous traditions in the world. China has a reoccurring theme of different art forms which includes pottery, jade, and bronze castings. Along with that is also painting, calligraphy, poetry, architecture and sculpture. Taoism also called (Daoism) and Confucianism philosophies are indigenous to China’s history and have been influenced deeply on Chinese art. I will begin with Taoism (Daoism) is a philosophical tradition of Chinese culture. It is based on the writings

Chinese Art And Confucianism

For thousands of years, the use of art through paintings, drawings, pictures, photographs have been used in religions for many purposes. Religious groups and sects have used art to protest, idealize, and tell stories about their religion. They have used art to express their beliefs and thoughts to the world. According to the dictionary, art is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated

The Chinese Martial Arts Film

Most Martial arts films in China generally tend to foreground issues of gender. In addition, these films portray a fixed line of gender separation. The Chinese Martial arts film culture has always been more receptive to the general idea of the female character in what Westerners would indeed consider exclusively male role such as the action hero (Castillo 3). In the martial art films several actress have even established their entire reputations as action stars. The action heroes were also held up

Comparing Chinese Imagery And Art

appears” (Heritage East Group, 2012) as agriculture emerges. As villages and people become more settled, “discrete ceramic traditions evolve that show a distinctive Chinese approach to form, decoration, and technique, leading to the identification of more than thirty Late Neolithic cultures throughout China”(Heritage East Group, 2012). Chinese writing, lacquer, a substance that gives wood a polished finish and solidifies to form a hard and clear layer begins to be used in practise, with sculptures and

The Historical Period Of Chinese Art Essay

The 20th century is a historical period for Chinese art history. It is the time period where China was ruled by Mao Zedong (1942-1976) and Propaganda Art was introduced. Propaganda art is not just a fine art. It is an information transmission art that contains clear meaning, and the most popular political vehicle for propaganda in the 20th century of China. Propaganda art must have considerable artistic appeal to mobilize image, color, composition, form and other factors to form a strong visual effect

Chinese Contemporary Art and Social Change

Chinese Contemporary Art and Social Change 中国当代艺术与社会变革 The Chinese contemporary art history is only 30 years, but it has gone through almost all the genres of western art history.Like the Chinese economy, it changes and grows so fast, especially during 2003 to 2008, that it attracted the global attention.The latest 5 years, the whole environment of Chinese contemporary art has been changing, the new trend has emerged.This article will explain the change of Chinese contemporary art in the

Chinese Art During the Early Empire Essay

Chinese Art During the Early Empire In this essay, I will look at the outpouring of thought, art and literature during the early empire. More so though, I will focus on what factors led to this renewed focus on culture in the early empire. It would seem that there were several factor which would lead to this renewed interest in culture in early China, but the most significant of these factors would be the re-establishment of a strong central government. This re-establishment of a strong

The Discipline of Chinese Painting: An Internal Reflection of Life & Art

• 5 Works Cited

comes into contact with a Chinese painting, the style is almost instantly recognizable. The attention to detail, craftsmanship, and vast depictions of elaborate landscapes appear to pay homage to mother earth in an attempt to reach a state of eternal balance with nature and life. Before this equilibrium could be achieved, one must attain internal discipline. This was required before one began mastering their brushwork in Chinese culture. In Mai Mai Sze’s “The Way of Chinese Painting,” 1959, New York:

How Did Chinese Culture Influence The Development Of Art During The Ming Dynasty

Chinese culture and art flourished in many ways during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Scholar-painters (Southern School), also known as the literati, thrived in many artistic aspects during this period, largely changing the creative world of imperial China. The medium of choice for these artists was a brush, monochromatic ink, and various scrolls. The intentions of the literati painters weren’t to illustrate environments realistically; instead they were more focused on producing art in ways to express

What Is The Reflection Of The Chinese Art?

Art evolves over time, and one of the most beautiful aspects of artwork is that it has the ability to reflect so much of what was going on during a particular time period. This can be seen all throughout the worlds history, from Neolithic wander-gathers carving animals they hunted into their caves all the way to the abstract modern day graffiti art we see around many populated cities. We can see what people value and what is important to them by looking at their artifacts left behind. Fortunately

Popular Topics

• Chinese Culture Essay
• Chinese Economy Essay
• Chinese History Essay
• Chinese Immigrants Essay
• Chinese Medicine Essay
• Chinese Women Essay
• Chivalry Essay
• Chlamydia Essay
• Cholera Essay
• Cholesterol Essay

• Dissertation Help Custom Writing Service
• Essay Writing: How to Write an Essay
• Application Paper
• Coursework Writing Service that You Will Like
• Research Proposal Writing Service
• How it Works

Chinese Art Essay

• Music, Visual Arts & Film Studies

CHN331 History of Chinese Art S1 2019

Chinese artist education was originated from ancient times. The relationship between art and life is old, and in different periods, various scholars and artists have provided beautiful masterpieces. As compared to an ancient civilization, Chinese writing is survived for more than 5000 years. The different periods provide evidence of different education, signs, marks and painting structure. For instance, the prehistoric period is 7000 years ago that focused on ‘FUXI’, a mythological figure represented in the form of octograms that originated signs and marks. Over 4500 years ago, the yellow emperor ‘Changjie’ evolved different characters by taking inspiration from natural living things (Chen, T. and Ren, L., 2003).

The Neolithic period is characterized by rock paintings found by Jiangsu, Qing Hai and Mongol. It was all about surface ornaments. The 1600 BC time witnessed Xia dynasty in Shangdong, where carving discovered that originally belonged to Yangshao culture. Different kinds of turtle shells and oracle bones were used for fortune telling till 1045BC. Musical education about painting is older than writing. For instance, rock painting was started 15000 years ago; that was the Paleolithic period end. During this time period, decorative patterns and calligraphy were appeared (Li, W., 2009).

Influential components in Chinese Art

Zhang Yanyuan initiated aesthetic theory in artistic education that was primarily about nature. The Chinese Daoism philosophy supported painting in its attempt to unify binaries, ink, and brush and mountain aspects. The use of motifs and different themes in art & music adopted multiple changes, and through innovative culture, Chinese painters adopted traditional perspectives. In the form of clerical script, calligraphy was introduced. Han Jiantang provided that it is a development into Han dynasty that will bring together ancient and modern writing. This clerical script offered unique expressions and achieved aesthetic as well as abstraction values.

The Round and Square strokes are seen in the clerical script, and it led the foundation of the standard writing for the preservation of Chinese writings. Later, this education developed into beauty-centric, romanticism and Jin dynasties. In the era of classical Chinese painting, the landscape painting bears significance (Silbergeld, J., 1997). The initiation of literati taste was mixed up with ink painting with water. This gave rise to different colourless ink tones. The literati painting were composed of five features that were divided into four perfections, i.e. painting, calligraphy, poetry, and seal carving. The elements void, Hume, and Verlaine were based on different themes and represented aesthetics (Chen, T. and Ren, L., 2003).

The artworks of Ding Yanyong from 1902-1978 under literati art gives rise to the four perfections, as mentioned earlier. The concept of polite arts under social gathering was developed, and painting presented social surge. Chinese scholar highlighted the understanding of aesthetic beauty, personal values and the artistic reflections apparent from the style. In calligraphy, the matter of model is shown through the characters which highlight the moral qualities

This is a painting by Miaozi Huang under Chinese calligraphy.

Chinese artists were known for their famous calligraphic styles, i.e. Chen-Chi’ng, Wang-Wei and Tao-Hsuan. The Chinese art history in terms of calligraphy is full of the writers, scholars, statesman, calligraphers and moral perfections (Chen, T. and Ren, L., 2003).

The painting styles in Chinese artistic framework united different elements of nature and human life. The painting aspects by Chinese artists included brushes, ink themes, and pigments. The materials used in brushes were mainly wild hair, made stiffed and wax was used to make it harder. Fluid pigments were used in the painting to make extension in the linear movement and implement shore movements. Several physical aspects of Chinese arts included base or surface, from which surface or support of painting was formed (Sze, M.-Mai and Wang, G., 1963). The more celebrated stylistic highlights were used to add through lacquer paintings and with the use of ceramics (Silbergeld, J., 1997). Clay wall and wall painting ranged from smaller to more large bricks to offer smoother surface on a unified design were employed in Chinese painting. This inscription is apparent from the Tang period tomb.

A Song Dynasty Landscape Painting by Guo Xi

The element of poetry in painting provides a relationship between painting, calligraphy and poetry. This is according to the literary concepts of ‘picture idea’ that is about the verbal and visual description of poets. The aristocratic elements were used to represent social grace, elegance and swaggering. The poets of Sung and T’ang dynasty were used to provide realistic expressions and poets used this practice to reflect Taoist meditative contemplation. Through poetry, Chinese artists represented recollections of places, beauty, and used skilful words to describe the sensation and feelings.  For instance, ‘Jonathan Chaves’ in ‘Chinese Painter as Poet’ used elements of painting and poetry as the integration of Yuan dynasty and through the combination of two artworks, the unique qualities of art were described through poetry.

Ornament and patterns painted on pottery surface using a Chinese brush

Seal carving in Chinese art is represented as Zhuanke, a traditional form of culture that was started in China. The sea craving or seal engraving is served in conventional way on the active surface of a matter that was typically used for stamping. The official and non official stamps are the products of seal carving of ancient Chinese art. The seal carving was mainly used as the symbol of creativity and power to denote the commercial proof of trading.

Chen, T. and Ren, L., 2003.  Chinese calligraphy . Beijing: China Intercontinental Press.

Li, W., 2009.  Chinese writing and calligraphy . Honolulu: Univ. of Hawaii Press.

Silbergeld, J., 1997.  Chinese painting style: media, methods, and principles of form . Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press.

Sze, M.-mai and Wang, G., 1963.  The tao of painting . New York: Pantheon Books.

Do you need high quality Custom Essay Writing Services?

• China Daily PDF
• China Daily E-paper
• Asia-Pacific
• Middle East
• China-Europe
• China-Japan
• China-Africa

Show helps foster mutual understanding

The exhibition of Chinese intangible cultural heritage in Russia is an important means to boost mutual understanding of the two peoples, an official from Moscow has said.

The two-day event, themed "National Culture from Qin Dynasty" (221-206 BC), opened on Monday at the China Cultural Center in Moscow, displaying various regional art masterpieces from Shaanxi province.

Bulat Nurmukhanov, head of the International Cooperation Division of the Moscow City Tourism Committee, emphasized the importance of the exhibition as this year and next mark the Cross Years of Culture between Russia and China.

Last month, the people of Moscow widely celebrated the Chinese New Year, demonstrating their appreciation for Chinese culture, he said.

The tourist flow between China and Russia has increased fivefold in the past year, he said, and such an exhibition will definitely boost mutual understanding between the people of both sides.

Oleg Dyadkov, deputy minister of culture and tourism in Moscow Oblast, said the preservation of intangible cultural heritage is important for all regions. A parallel can be drawn between the provinces of China and the regions of Russia, he said, as each region of Russia has its own identity, just like Shaanxi province.

"If big cities are famous for high art — their theaters, historical museums — then the regions are interesting for their historical cities and various crafts," Dyadkov said after admiring the famous Huxian farmers' paintings from Huxian county in Shaanxi.

Farmers' paintings are hand-painted with gouache watercolors on paper. They depict scenes of rural life and express painters' views, usually using vibrant colors, thick lines and exaggerated figurative patterns.

Gao Yang, director of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Shaanxi, said the province is the starting point of the ancient Silk Road and boasts the largest collection of intangible cultural heritages in China.

Monday's exhibition is a significant cultural event to celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Russia, Gao said. It is also an important project for the Sino-Russian Cross Years of Culture, aimed at enabling more Russian friends to know about Shaanxi.

Feng Litao, minister counselor of the Chinese embassy in Russia, said the first emperor of China ruled in Shaanxi 2,000 years ago, making the province a famous tourism destination for intangible cultural heritage.

"Not to mention in the 1980s, the first tourist route for foreign guests was developed and implemented in its capital city of Xi'an," Feng said.

A delegation from the province visited St. Petersburg on Saturday and met with teachers and students from St. Petersburg University, Gao said. Russian youngsters' enthusiasm for Chinese folk art and intangible cultural heritage impressed the delegation.

Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History Essays

Traditional chinese painting in the twentieth century.

Returning to Nature through a Reclusive Life

Spring Offerings

Wu Changshuo

Buddhist Sage

Goddess of the River Xiang

Stately Pines on Mount Hua

• Zhao Zhiqian

"Splashed-color" landscape

• Zhang Daqian

Grazing Horse

Department of Asian Art , The Metropolitan Museum of Art

October 2004

The first decades of the twentieth century marked the end of the insular, tradition-bound Qing empire (1644–1911) and the forceful entry of China into the modern age. Foreign influences, largely restricted to a handful of ports and missionary initiatives during much of the nineteenth century, now flooded into China in an irresistible tide. Indeed, the massive influx of Western ideas and products constituted the most important factor defining China’s culture during the twentieth century.

China’s defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–95) spurred a movement for reform among members of the scholarly class with the ideal of marrying “Chinese essential principles with Western practical knowledge.” During its final years, the Qing dynasty did launch a number of initiatives aimed at modernization, but its efforts were too feeble and too late. Advocates for radical change, particularly the revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925), were able to capitalize upon growing dissatisfaction with Manchu rule to topple the Qing dynasty. The founding of the Republic of China in 1912 brought about an end to two millennia of imperial rule. During the next two decades, the young republic struggled to consolidate its power: initially by uniting central military and political leadership after the misguided attempt by Yuan Shikai (1859–1916), the first president, to establish himself as emperor; and second by bringing together China’s diverse regions, after wresting control over certain areas from local warlords. In the arts, a schism developed between conservatives and innovators, between artists seeking to preserve their heritage in the face of rapid Westernization by following earlier precedents and those who advocated the reform of Chinese art through the adoption of foreign media and techniques.

As exemplified by Fu Baoshi (1904–1965) and Zhang Daqian (1899–1983), both of whom studied in Japan and traveled abroad late in their lives, some influential artists created hybrid styles that reflected a cosmopolitan attitude toward art and a willingness to modify inherited traditions through the incorporation of foreign idioms and techniques ( 1986.267.277 ; 1986.267.361 ). Zhang, who became a leading connoisseur and collector, based his diverse painting styles on the firsthand study of early masterpieces, while Fu, an academic, learned about earlier works from reproductions and copies.

With the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949, cultural activities came under the control of the state. Seeking to reform traditional painting to make it “serve the people,” the Communist government mandated that artists pursue a “revolutionary realism” that would celebrate the heroism of the common people or convey the majesty of the motherland. Taking the Socialist Realism of the Soviet Union as orthodoxy, Chinese painters found a model among their own countrymen—emulating the Western-derived academic realism of Xu Beihong (1895–1953). Painting from life rather than copying ancient masterpieces became the principal source of inspiration for most artists ( 1986.267.192 ). But excessive bureaucratic oversight and the shifting demands of politics often had a detrimental effect. The Communist party’s effort to encourage plurality and free expression under the Hundred Flowers Movement of 1956–57, for example, was soon cut short by the antirightist purge of 1957; while the Great Leap Forward, of 1958–60, and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution of 1966–76, although intended to bring society into conformance with the party’s progressive ideals, actually led to the persecution of many well-known artists and had a stultifying impact on creativity.

Department of Asian Art. “Traditional Chinese Painting in the Twentieth Century.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cptg/hd_cptg.htm (October 2004)

Further Reading

Andrews, Julia F., and Kuiyi Shen. A Century in Crisis: Modernity and Tradition in the Art of Twentieth-Century China . New York: Guggenheim Museum, 1998.

Clunas, Craig. Art in China . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.

Hearn, Maxwell K. How to Read Chinese Paintings . New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2008. See on MetPublications

Additional Essays by Department of Asian Art

• Department of Asian Art. “ Mauryan Empire (ca. 323–185 B.C.) .” (October 2000)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Zen Buddhism .” (October 2002)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Chinese Cloisonné .” (October 2004)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Chinese Gardens and Collectors’ Rocks .” (October 2004)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Landscape Painting in Chinese Art .” (October 2004)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Nature in Chinese Culture .” (October 2004)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D.) .” (October 2000)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Kushan Empire (ca. Second Century B.C.–Third Century A.D.) .” (October 2000)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Qin Dynasty (221–206 B.C.) .” (October 2000)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Rinpa Painting Style .” (October 2003)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Jōmon Culture (ca. 10,500–ca. 300 B.C.) .” (October 2002)
• Department of Asian Art. “ The Kano School of Painting .” (October 2003)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Woodblock Prints in the Ukiyo-e Style .” (October 2003)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) .” (October 2002)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127) .” (October 2001)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386–581) .” (October 2002)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279) .” (October 2001)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Tang Dynasty (618–907) .” (October 2001)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Yayoi Culture (ca. 300 B.C.–300 A.D.) .” (October 2002)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) .” (October 2001)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Art of the Pleasure Quarters and the Ukiyo-e Style .” (October 2004)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Scholar-Officials of China .” (October 2004)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Kofun Period (ca. 300–710) .” (October 2002)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Shunga Dynasty (ca. Second–First Century B.C.) .” (October 2000)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Lacquerware of East Asia .” (October 2004)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Painting Formats in East Asian Art .” (October 2004)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Asuka and Nara Periods (538–794) .” (October 2002)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Heian Period (794–1185) .” (October 2002)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Kamakura and Nanbokucho Periods (1185–1392) .” (October 2002)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Momoyama Period (1573–1615) .” (October 2002)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Neolithic Period in China .” (October 2004)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Muromachi Period (1392–1573) .” (October 2002)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Samurai .” (October 2002)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Shinto .” (October 2002)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Seasonal Imagery in Japanese Art .” (October 2004)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Shang and Zhou Dynasties: The Bronze Age of China .” (October 2004)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Shōguns and Art .” (October 2004)
• Department of Asian Art. “ Art of the Edo Period (1615–1868) .” (October 2003)

Related Essays

• Chinese Painting
• Landscape Painting in Chinese Art
• The Qing Dynasty (1644–1911): Painting
• Chinese Calligraphy
• Chinese Handscrolls
• Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)
• Nature in Chinese Culture
• Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127)
• Painting Formats in East Asian Art
• The Qing Dynasty (1644–1911): Courtiers, Officials, and Professional Artists
• The Qing Dynasty (1644–1911): Loyalists and Individualists
• The Qing Dynasty (1644–1911): The Traditionalists
• Scholar-Officials of China
• Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279)
• Wang Hui (1632–1717)
• Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368)

List of Rulers

• List of Rulers of China
• China, 1800–1900 A.D.
• China, 1900 A.D.–present
• Japan, 1900 A.D.–present
• Korea, 1900 A.D.–present
• Calligraphy
• Deity / Religious Figure
• Qing Dynasty

Artist or Maker

• Wu Changshi

Home — Essay Samples — Geography & Travel — Travel and Tourism Industry — The History of Moscow City

The History of Moscow City

• Categories: Russia Travel and Tourism Industry

About this sample

Words: 614 |

Published: Feb 12, 2019

Words: 614 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Verified writer

• Expert in: Geography & Travel

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

13 pages / 6011 words

1 pages / 657 words

3 pages / 1208 words

6 pages / 3010 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Travel and Tourism Industry

Traveling is one of the most enriching experiences one can have. It exposes you to new cultures, customs, and ways of thinking. However, it can also be challenging and unpredictable, making it a true adventure. As a college [...]

Exploring foreign lands has always been a fascinating aspect of human curiosity. It is a desire to discover new cultures, traditions, and landscapes that are different from one's own. The experience of traveling to foreign lands [...]

Travelling is a topic that has been debated for centuries, with some arguing that it is a waste of time and money, while others believe that it is an essential part of life. In this essay, I will argue that travelling is not [...]

Traveling is an enriching experience that allows individuals to explore new cultures, meet people from different backgrounds, and broaden their perspectives. In the summer of 2019, I had the opportunity to embark on an amazing [...]

When planning a business trip all aspects and decisions rely heavily on the budget set by the company for the trip. Once Sandfords have confirmed the location careful consideration should be used to choose the travel method and [...]

4Sex Tourism in ThailandAs we enter a new millenium the post-colonial nations in the world are still searching for ways to compete in an increasingly globalized, consumption driven economic environment. Many developing countries [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free