Title: What Sets Chinese Painting Apart From Western Painting Author: Ernesto Apomayta Email: apomayta@hotmail.com Word Count: 550 Copyright 2004© Ernesto Apomayta Web address www.apomaytaart.com Publishing guidelines: You may publish my article in your newsletter, on your website, or in your print publication provided you include
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What Sets Chinese Painting Apart From Western Painting By Ernesto Apomayta
Because of different instruments, materials and cultural background, Chinese paintings have their own image and content in comparison to other types of paintings. Unique appearance of Chinese Painting owes much to use of Chinese writing brush and Chinese paper (rice and silk). There are four essential elements used in creation of Chinese Painting, brush, ink, paper, and ink stone. Lacking any of them job cannot be done.
The most important factors for Chinese Painting are special pedagogy, close relationship with painter’s personality and unique Chinese philosophy. They are trained not only to convey objects but also express mood and spirit of subject. The Chinese also believe that painting is expression of painter’s knowledge and temperament. In this way, Chinese Painting becomes something much more than art.
The most essential philosophy of China is unity of Heaven, Earth and Human Beings. What Chinese Painters are trying to express is not what meets eye, but their attitude to Great Nature. The Chinese painter has a profound love and admiration for nature. It is part of their culture, religious practices and their need to depend on nature to survive.
In relationship to human and animal figures, Chinese painter utilizes forms he finds in nature, such as ovals, circles, and geometric lines which are found also found in Chinese calligraphy. Thus, all Chinese paintings whether they are landscapes or human figure are painted with same movement, rhythm, and harmony that is used when drawing forms of calligraphy. Calligraphy is a form of art, even more revered and honored than all other painting.
