[A] = A rock painting [B] =
Painting of beauties [C] = Landscape painting [D]
= New Year painting Which painting says that
A A rock
painting Paintings or engravings found on precipitous cliffs
in Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou in Southwest China; Fujian in East China and
Mount Yinshan in Inner Mongolia; Altai in China’s extreme west and Heihe in the
far north, are even more ancient. Strong visual effects characterize the bright
red cliff paintings in southern China that depict scenes of sacrificial rites,
production activities and daily life. In comparison, hunting, animal grazing,
wars and dancing are the main themes of cliff paintings in northern China.
Before paper was invented, the art of silk painting had been developing. The
earliest silk painting was excavated from the Mawangdui Tomb in central China of
the Warring States Period (476-221 BC). Silk painting reached its artistic peak
in the Western Hah Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25 ). Following the introduction of
Buddhism to China during the first century from India, and the carvings on
grottoes and temple building that ensued, the art of painting religious murals
gradually gained prominence.
B
Painting of beauties The Tang Dynasty (618-907)
witnessed the prosperity of figure painting, where the most outstanding painters
were Zhang Xuan and Zhou Fang. Their paintings, depicting the life of noble
women and court ladies, exerted an eternal influence on the development of shi
nu hua (painting of beauties), which comprise an important branch of traditional
Chinese painting today. Beginning in the Five Dynasties
(907-960), each dynasty set up an art academy that gathered together the best
painters throughout China. Academy members, who were on the government payroll
and wore official uniforms, drew portraits of emperors, ’nobles and aristocrats
that depicted their daily lives. The system proved conducive to the development
of painting. The succeeding Song Dynasty (960-1127) developed such academies
into the Imperial Art Academy.
C
Landscape painting During the Yuan Dynasty
(127]_-1368) the "Four Great Painters" --Huang Gongwang, Ni Zan, Wei Zhen and
Wang Meng--represented the highest level of landscape painting. Their works
immensely influenced landscape painting of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing
(1644-1911) dynasties. The Ming Dynasty saw the rise of the Wumen Painting
School, which emerged in Suzhou on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Keen
to carry on the traditions of Chinese painting, the four Wumen masters blazed
new trails and developed their own unique styles. When the Manchus came to power
in 1644, the then-best painters showed their resentment to the Qing (1644-1911)
court in many ways. The "Four Monk Masters" --Zhu Da, Shi Tao, Kun Can and Hong
Ren--had their heads shaved to demonstrate their determination not to serve the
new dynasty, and they soothed their sadness by painting tranquil nature scenes
and traditional art. Yangzhou, which faces Suzhou across the Yangtze River, was
home to the "Eight Eccentrics" - the eight painters all with strong characters,
proud and aloof, who refused to follow orthodoxy. They used freehand brushwork
and broadened the horizon of flower-and-bird painting. By the end of the Qing
Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, Shanghai, which gave birth
to the Shanghai Painting School, had become the most prosperous commercial city
and a gathering place for numerous painters. Following the spirit of the
Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, the Shanghai School played a vital role in the
transition of Chinese traditional painting from a classical art form to a modern
one. The May 4th Movement of 1919, or the New Culture Movement, inspired the
Chinese to learn from western art and introduce it to China. Many outstanding
painters, led by Xu Beihong, emerged, whose paintings recognized a perfect
merging of the merits of both Chinese and Western styles, absorbing western
classicism, romanticism and impressionism. Other great painters of this period
include Qi Baishi, Huang Binhong and Zhang Daqian. Oil painting, a western art,
was introduced to China in the 17th century and gained popularity in the early
20th century. In the 1980s Chinese oil painting boomed.
D New Year painting Then came
popular folk painting--Chinese New Year pictures pinned up on doors, room walls
and windows on the Chinese New Year to invite heavenly blessings and ward off
disasters and evil spirits - which dates back to the Qin and Hah dynasties.
Thanks to the invention of block printing, folk painting became popular in the
Song Dynasty and reached its zenith of sophistication in the Qing. Woodcuts have
become increasingly diverse in style, variety, theme and artistic form since the
early 1980s. ·drew the daily life of upper classes
71. ______. ·was aimed to invite blessings
and ward off disasters
72. ______. · witnessed the rise of Wumen painting
school
73. ______. ·introduced the western art
into China
74.
______. ·depicts scenes of production activities and animal grazing
75. ______. ·was pinned up
on doors, walls and windows
76.
______. ·was found in the extreme north of China
77. ______. ·combines the merits of Chinese and Western
classicism, romanticism and etc
78. ______. ·has painters to use freehand brushwork in their
flower-and-bird painting 79. ______. ·paints with the painters
getting government payroll
80. ______.