Chinese artists of the Middle Ages

When it comes to Chinese painting, the first thing that comes to mind are the famous scrolls made of rice paper and silk, which once adorned imperial palaces. Traditional Chinese painting, known as guohua, is a unique phenomenon, very different from traditional European painting.

For China, painting is poetry embodied in colors and ink. Thats why all paintings by Chinese masters are accompanied by poetic inscriptions written on the canvas, containing good wishes and advice. The technique of such painting is spontaneous. No sketches are made, and the composition is flat but very clear.

Since ancient times, Chinese artists have used very bright mineral paints that do not fade over time. They were applied to paper or silk without any preliminary work. A Chinese artist never set out to depict the surrounding world as it actually is. The world created on Chinese scrolls is symbolic and detached from reality.

To better understand this, one must simply familiarize themselves with the main directions of traditional Chinese painting. There are only four: mountains and water, birds and plants, animal depictions, and human depictions.

Mountains and water can be somewhat related to landscape painting. However, no painting depicts a real landscape. In Chinese symbolism, mountains represent the eternal, unshakeable, and constant, while water symbolizes the endless flow of life. Thats why it is rare to see calm water in paintings by Chinese artists. Water rushes in mountain rivers and flows in waterfalls. Often, against the backdrop of waterfalls and nature, artists depict small houses or figures of people. This symbolizes the insignificance of a person in the face of mighty nature.

In traditional Chinese painting, it is not customary to paint still lifes that are familiar to Europeans. In the opinion of the Chinese, nature cannot be dead. It must be full of life. Therefore, fruits in Chinese paintings grow on trees and in the ground, and birds are depicted near plants.

A frequent subject of Chinese paintings is a pair of birds. Usually these are herons, mandarin ducks, magpies, or peacocks. The symbolism of such images lies in the doubling of the energy carried by the images of these birds.

The animalistic genre is known to art lovers from Europe and Russia somewhat less. Chinese people like to depict herds of horses, symbolizing abundance, wealth, and glory; tigers climbing rocks, a symbol of power and protection; and pandas on trees, a symbol of kindness.

Chinese people often depict people. Usually these are scenes from Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian myths. For example, the legend Journey to the Sea about nine monks sailing in a boat in search of happiness is popular. In traditional Chinese painting, the theme of motherhood is popular, as in the famous painting Mother and Child, as well as traditional scenes from palace life.

Thanks to the fact that Chinese people do not forget their culture and produce many reproductions of their ancient and modern paintings in a traditional style, anyone can familiarize themselves with them and even decorate their home with them.