how did chinese silk painting develop

How did Chinese artisans traditionally make silk paintings? Historically, practitioners would use a stone to smooth out the surface of the silk. Once primed, the silk was adorned with designs rendered in colorful mineral pigments or black ink (often made from soot and an animal-based adhesive).

Full Answer

What is the origin of silk painting?

The earliest development of silk and silk painting took place in India around the second century CE, and it was shortly after that similar techniques were developed in China. Japanese art was heavily influenced by Chinese culture. The earliest complex art from Japan came between the seventh and eighth centuries.

How were Chinese paintings made?

Like calligraphy, traditional Chinese painting, or guohua (国画 /gwor-hwaa/), is done using a brush dipped in black ink or colored pigments, usually on paper or silk. The finished work can be mounted on scrolls and hung. Traditional painting has also been done on walls, porcelain and lacquer ware.

When did silk painting begin in China?

China. One of the earliest surviving Chinese silk paintings is a 2-metre long T-shaped painting, dated from around 165 BCE, from the Mawangdui. However, painting on silk quickly gave way to painting on other supports. Silk painting employs gutta as a resist, allowing fine patterns to be achieved.

How did Chinese art start?

Early forms of art in China are found in the Neolithic Yangshao culture, which dates back to the 6th millennium BC. Archeological findings such as those at the Banpo have revealed that the Yangshao made pottery; early ceramics were unpainted and most often cord-marked.

What are the two main techniques used in Chinese painting?

Different styles of Chinese brush painting The art of Chinese brush painting varies in both style and execution. There are two main areas – freestyle (xieyi, literally 'writing ideas') and meticulous (gongbi). The first is deceptively simple; the latter is more realistic and detailed.

What is the purpose of Chinese painting?

This is the aim of the traditional Chinese painter: to capture not only the outer appearance of a subject but its inner essence as well—its energy, life force, spirit. To accomplish his goal, the Chinese painter more often than not rejected the use of color.

Why did Chinese paint on silk?

Many emperors and empresses had artists create special silk paintings to be hung in their courts. Silk paintings were also used to honor the deceased. The earliest evidence of such paintings belongs to the Warring States Period (476 BC) in Chinese history.

What is a Chinese silk painting called?

GongbiGongbi roughly translates to meticulousness, which is aptly termed for how effortful the work is in nature. An artist will require a detailed brushwork to create a Gongbi-style silk painting while Shuimo simply follows a monochromatic palette to create impressionistic artwork.

What is the importance of silk painting?

Silk painting is a way to express the painter's personality and creativity, and the “DIY” process always brings huge self- fulfilments, enriching people's life. This valued and meaningful art form should be shared by the public, not just the professionals.

How was art developed?

Seventeen thousand years ago, humans painted realistic images of bulls, bison, stags, horses, and other animals on the walls of the caves of Lascaux, in France. They made stencils of their hands, too. There's lots of cave art in Europe, but there is also prehistoric cave art in Indonesia.

What are the features of Chinese painting?

The character of Chinese painting, like that of Chinese calligraphy, is closely bound up with the nature of the medium. The basic material is ink, formed into a short stick of hardened pine soot and glue, which is rubbed to the required consistency on an inkstone with a little water.

What are the key influences to Chinese art?

Chinese art today is heavily influenced by Western art and concepts, particularly ink and oil paintings, and performance arts.

What are characteristics of Chinese painting?

Chinese paintings have acquired different characteristics after many generations of development. In general, two methods of using the brush exist: Gong Bi (fine strokes), that is, drawing details with fine strokes and rich colors, and Yi Bi (rough strokes), drawing with rough strokes and light colors.

What is the style of Chinese paintings?

Painting in the traditional style is known today in Chinese as guó huà (simplified Chinese: 国画; traditional Chinese: 國畫), meaning "national painting" or "native painting", as opposed to Western styles of art which became popular in China in the 20th century. It is also called danqing (Chinese: 丹青; pinyin: dān qīng).

What are the three basic formats of Chinese painting?

The main schools of Chinese painting while in terms of subject and theme, traditional Chinese paintings are classified into three main categories: the figure painting, landscape painting and flower-and-bird painting.

What makes Chinese art unique?

One of the outstanding characteristics of Chinese art is the extent to which it reflects the class structure that has existed at different times in Chinese history. Up to the Warring States period (475–221 bce), the arts were produced by anonymous craftsmen for the royal and feudal courts.

How did Chinese silk paintings start?

Practitioners of traditional Chinese silk painting historically followed a process of preparing their own silk clothes by grinding the cloth with a stone until the texture was smoothened out. They would later use brushes made with animal hair along with paint mixtures derived from various natural elements to create their own works of art. Some of these artworks are now marveled at museums and written in history books while others remain at the cohort of historians and art researchers.

When was silk painting invented?

Most art historians believe that the Chinese silk painting was incepted during the Warring States period in 476 BC. But for concluding that the artistic style gained prevalence in the time of the Western Han Dynasty in 206 BC.

How is silk art created?

How a Silk Painting is Created. There are two ways of creating a silk painting and these are the Gongbi technique and the Shuimo technique. Gongbi roughly translates to meticulousness, which is aptly termed for how effortful the work is in nature. An artist will require a detailed brushwork to create a Gongbi-style silk painting while Shuimo simply ...

What is the art style of Chinese silk painting?

From a landscape portrayal of life in a merchant town to depicting gorgeous characters clad in traditional gowns and dresses, Chinese silk art ranges in its style and character but retains an overpowering element of elegance and uniformity. The art style of silk painting is one that had originated centuries ...

Why did silk paintings become popular?

Due to a lack of tools and colors, the original silk painting would not have as many details as the paintings in ink-wash technic or Guo Hua that came later on. Artists found better colors and optimized on the technique used for creating silk paintings. Enabling them to draw human figures as well as integrate unique characteristics to represent monsters and mythological beasts. These paintings gradually gained meaning in its art form as artists began depicting famous religious analogies and portrayals of myth and fables.

What was the trade of silk during the Crusades?

This trade was brought into its height during the Crusades’ conquests as Europe began to mass-produce silk. Here, silk painting began establishing itself within European lives and currently, art enthusiasts will find large availability of Chinese silk paintings all across Europe’s continent.

What happens after ink is applied to a painting?

After the ink has been applied and the base layer created, next comes the stage of applying pigments and offering color to the painting. The work can be completed soon after this process.

When did silk start to be used?

Silk cultivation spread to Japan about 300 AD, and by the year 520, Europeans and Arabs started to manufacture silk.

When was silk exported?

It is thought that silk was exported along the Silk Road routes by about 400 BC or so, and after this, though silk became highly esteemed, the various kingdoms and imperial dynasties kept secret the methods of silk production for another thousand years. It might have been one of the most zealously guarded secrets in history.

What did Huangdi teach her people?

Thus, an industry was born. She taught her people how to raise silkworms and later invented the loom.

How long does it take for silkworms to die?

After eight or nine days, the silkworms (actually caterpillars changing into moths) are killed. The cocoons are lowered into hot water to loosen up the tight protective filaments that are then unraveled, wound onto a spool, and later spun into thread.

How many eggs do silk moths lay?

Silk moths lay around 500 eggs during their lifespan of four to six days. After the eggs hatch, the caterpillars are fed a diet of mulberry leaves in a controlled environment. Their body weight increases substantially.

What is silk factory?

A silk factory. Quality silk is soft and glossy with clear and symmetrical colors. The shimmering appearance of silk is due to the triangular prism-like structure of the silk fibre. It refracts incoming light at different angles and so produces different colors. Silk is strong, but it isn't elastic.

What was silk used for?

Common people were prohibited from wearing silk. Silk was also used for a number of other applications including luxury writing material.

Where was silk found in China?

There were particularly abundant big silk-producing areas at each end of the Yangtze River, in the western province of Sichuan and the coastal provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang in the east .

Where did silk come from?

The past silk routes which borrowed the long caravans were the vector of the flow of silk in the West, well before that, silk production was introduced into the trail of the Arabic conquests in the Middle East, in North Africa and in Spain. From this moment, the Chinese domination ...

How long has silk been around?

It is very difficult to find out with exactness the date of the discovery of silk, but its use goes back to something like 4 500 years.

Which country exported silk?

From the end of the XIXth century, Japan, which had realized enormous progress in the mastering of the silkworm diseases, the production and the quality control already began to export considerable quantities of raw silk in Europe and in the United States, during China entered for the period the most disturbed by its recent history.

What was the importance of the Silk Goddess?

Contributions to the silk goddess or goddesses at the imperial altars and at the popular shrines made obvious the importance attached to silk and sericulture, whether as a foundation for a prosperous country or as a central part of rural life.

What was China's main production during the communist era?

In the years following the communist revolution, China demonstrated significant efforts to catch up with its setback to such a point that its production of raw silk overtakes promptly the main part of the world production.

What is the series of paintings known as "Illustrations of Tilling and Weaving"?

Series of paintings known as “Illustrations of tilling and weaving” became in fact quite regularly created as reminders of the agricultural base of china’s prosperity.

What is the birth of landscape painting in China?

Author of The Birth of Landscape Painting in China and The Arts of China. Chinese painting , one of the major art forms produced in China over the centuries. The other arts of China are treated in separate articles. These include Chinese calligraphy, which in China is closely associated with painting; interior design; tapestry; floral decoration;

What are the characteristics of Chinese art?

One of the outstanding characteristics of Chinese art is the extent to which it reflects the class structure that has existed at different times in Chinese history. Up to the Warring States period (475–221 bce ), the arts were produced by anonymous craftsmen for the royal and feudal courts. During the Warring States period and the Han dynasty (206 bce –220 ce ), the growth of a landowning and merchant class brought new patrons. After the Han there began to emerge the concept of “fine art” as the product of the leisure of the educated gentry, many of whom were amateur practitioners of the arts of poetry, music, calligraphy, and, eventually, painting. At this time a distinction began to arise between the lower-class professional and the elite amateur artist; this distinction would have a great influence on the character of Chinese art in later times. Gradually one tradition became identified with the artists and craftsmen who worked for the court or sold their work for profit. The scholarly amateurs looked upon such people with some contempt, and the art of the literati became a separate tradition that was increasingly refined and rarefied to the point that, from the Song dynasty (960–1279) onward, an assumed awkwardness in technique was admired as a mark of the amateur and gentleman. One effect of the revolutions of the 20th century was the breaking down of the class barriers between amateur and professional and even, during the Cultural Revolution of 1966–76, an emphasis on anonymous, proletarian-made art like that of the Tang dynasty (618–907) and earlier.

What is Chinese calligraphy?

These include Chinese calligraphy, which in China is closely associated with painting; interior design; tapestry; floral decoration; Chinese pottery; metalwork; enamelwork; and lacquerwork; as well as Chinese jade; silk; and Chinese architecture.

Where did the Chinese come from?

The first communities that can be identified culturally as Chinese were settled chiefly in the basin of the Huang He (Yellow River). Gradually they spread out, influencing other tribal cultures, until, by the Han dynasty (206 bce –220 ce ), most of China proper was dominated by the culture that had been formed in the cradle of northern Chinese civilization. Over this area there slowly spread a common written language, a common belief in the power of heaven and the ancestral spirits to influence the living, and a common emphasis on the importance of ceremony and sacrifice to achieve harmony among heaven, nature, and humankind. These beliefs were to have a great influence on the character of Chinese painting, and indeed all the arts of China.

When did the arts begin?

Up to the Warring States period (475–221 bce ), the arts were produced by anonymous craftsmen for the royal and feudal courts. During the Warring States period and the Han dynasty (206 bce –220 ce ), the growth of a landowning and merchant class brought new patrons.

What is the Chinese painting style?

There are two main techniques in Chinese painting: Gongbi (工笔 /gong-bee/), literally 'working pen', is a meticulous style, rich in color and detailed brush strokes. It is often used for portraits or narrative subjects. Xieyi (写意 /sshyeah-ee/ 'writing' ), meaning “freehand", is a looser style of painting, and usually used in landscapes.

When did China start to use Western art?

Western art exerted its influence on China in the late 1800s and 1900s. Some painters, after studying abroad, returned to their homeland and incorporated the best of both cultures in their art.

How long is the Guilin Scenic and Ethnic Discovery?

Guilin Scenic and Ethnic Discovery (4 days): Soak in the beauty of traditional life, from walks along small rice terrace paths to making a visit to a local ethnic family home.

What dynasties painted the royal court?

From the Han (206 BC - 220 AD) to Tang (618-907) dynasties, artists painted many detailed, elaborate portraits of the royal court. Some of the ancient works depicting court lives of emperors, their ladies, and imperial horses have been preserved in tombs and burial sites. Tang Dynasty also saw the beginning of landscape paintings, often referred to as shanshui (山水 /shan-shway/ 'mountain-water') paintings. These are less precise and allowed for individual freedom in interpreting the subjects.

What dynasty painted landscapes?

In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), landscape paintings almost attained a mythical quality with blurred outlines of mountains and mists.

What is the Golden Age of Chinese landscape painting?

The time from the Five Dynasties period (907-960) to the Northern Song period (960-1127) is known as the “Golden Age of Chinese Landscape Painting”. Using bold strokes and black lines, artists depicted rolling hills, rivers and stones. Others used softer brushwork to paint peaceful scenes of nature, birds and animals.

What is traditional Chinese art?

As a result, pieces of art that range from 200 BC all the way through to contemporary works can be considered traditional Chinese painting! Chinese painting is done on paper or silk, using a variety of brushes, ink and dye. Subjects vary, including: portrait, landscape, flowers, birds, animals, and insects.

Why did China build the Silk Road?

Emperor Wu Di of western Han Dynasty decided to develop trade with other countries. To build a road becomes a priority to trade silk. For nearly 60 years of war, the world famous ancient Silk Road was built up at cost of many losses of life and treasures.

How did ancient Chinese women find silk?

Another less romantic but more convincing explanation is that some ancient Chinese women found this wonderful silk by chance. When they were picking up fruits from the trees, they found a special kind of fruit, white but too hard to eat, so they boiled the fruit in hot water but they still could hardly eat it. At last, they lost their patience and began to beat them with big sticks. In this way, silks and silkworms were discovered. And the white hard fruit is a cocoon!

What is the business of raising silkworms and unwinding cocoons called?

And the white hard fruit is a cocoon! The business of raising silkworms and unwinding cocoons is now known as silk culture or sericulture.

Why did the Romans wear silk?

Romans, especially women, were crazy for Chinese silk. Before that, Romans used to make clothes with a linen cloth, animal skin, and wool fabric. Now they all turned to silk. It was a symbol of wealth and high social status for them to wear silk clothes. One day, an Indian monk came to visit the Emperor.

What is silk used for?

He directed a documentary film about human trafficking in China. It is well known that silk is discovered in China as one of the best materials for clothing —it has a look and feels of richness that no other materials can match. However, very few people know when or where or how it is discovered.

Who came to visit the Emperor?

One day, an Indian monk came to visit the Emperor. This monk had been living in China for several years and knew the method of raising silkworms. The Emperor promised a high profit of the monk, the monk hid several cocoons in his cane and took it to Rome. Then, the technology of raising silkworms spread out.

Is silk still made?

Thousands of years have passed since China first discovered silkworms. Nowadays, silk, in some sense, is still some kind of luxury. Some countries are trying some new ways to make silk without silkworms. Hopefully, they can be successful. But whatever the result, nobody should forget that silk was, still is, and will always be a priceless treasure.

Monday, January 5, 2015

Silk painting was believed to date as far back as 476 BC, reaching it's height of popularity as an art form in the western Han dynasty, 206BC to 25AD.

The History of Silk Painting

Silk painting was believed to date as far back as 476 BC, reaching it's height of popularity as an art form in the western Han dynasty, 206BC to 25AD.

What is the history of Chinese art?

Introduction. Chinese art has a strong tradition of painting and the associated art of calligraphy. One of the earliest forms was the painting of Chinese pottery, as exemplified by the so-called Painted Pottery cultures during the era of Neolithic art, the last phase of the Stone Age.

What is the most characteristic art of China?

Painting is the most characteristic art of China. Chinese sculpture is matched, part for part, in regions of the outside world; never the whole in one place, but one part in Luristan (Persia), another in India, still another in medieval France.

What is the highest form of Chinese painting?

Traditional Chinese painting ("guo hua") is similar to calligraphy - which itself is considered to be the highest form of painting - and is executed with a brush (made of animal hair) dipped in black ink (made from pine soot and animal glue) or coloured ink. Oils are not generally used.

What is the ink used in a wash painting?

Wash painters typically grind their own ink using an ink stick and a grinding stone . Ink sticks are usually composed of densely packed charcoal ash from bamboo or pine soot mixed with glue extracted from fish bones. Brushes can be made from goat hair, ox, horse, sheep, rabbit, marten, badger, deer, boar or wolf hair.

What is Guo Hua painting?

In simple terms, there are two types of "guo hua": the first, known as "Gong-bi" or meticulous-style, is also described as court-style painting; the second, known as "Shui-mo" or "xie yi" or freehand-style, is also called ink and brush painting, or "literati painting", and was practiced by amateur scholar artists.

What is the difference between Chinese and Japanese painting?

It is significant that the Chinese, in the first of their canons of painting, speak of rhythmic life or formal movement, whereas the Japanese speak oftener of decorative and symbolic qualities.

What is the most common media used for painting?

The most popular type of media is paper or silk, but some paintings are done on walls or lacquerwork. The completed artwork may then be mounted on scrolls, which are hung or rolled up. Alternatively, traditional painters may paint directly onto album sheets, walls, Chinese lacquerware, folding screens, and other media.

Legends on Chinese Silk

The History of Silk Production in China

The Development of Silk Production in The World

• The past silk routes which borrowed the long caravans were the vector of the flow of silk in the West, well before that, silk production was introduced into the trail of the Arabic conquests in the Middle East, in North Africa and in Spain. From this moment, the Chinese domination of sericulture gradually crumbled off as the other countries became ...

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