An
important part of Chinese cultural heritage, the
traditional Chinese painting is distinguished
from Western art in that it is executed on xuan
paper (or silk) with the Chinese brush, Chinese
ink and mineral and vegetable pigments.
Classified according to subject matter, they can
be divided into paintings of figures, landscapes,
buildings, flowers, birds, animals, insects and
fish. The brush techniques emphasized so much
in Chinese painting include line and texture (cunfa),
the dotting method (dianfa) and the application
of color (ranfa).
Many a Chinese painter is at the same time a poet
and calligrapher. He will often add a poem in
his own hand on the painting, which invariably
carries an impression of his seal. The resulting
piece of work is usually an integrated whole of
four branches of Chinese art--poetry, calligraphy,
painting and seal-cutting.
Chinese calligraphy (Brush calligraphy) is an
art unique to Asian cultures. Shu (calligraphy),
Hua (painting), Qin (a string musical instrument),
and Qi (a strategic boardgame) are the four basic
skills and disciplines of the Chinese literati.
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