1. Modern 20C
齊白石
Qi BaiShi
Qing Renewal 18C
郎世宁
Castiglione
Song Landscape 11C Song Flower & Bird 12C Song Ink 12C
梁楷
Liang Kai
Guo Xi 郭熙
Huizong 徽宗
Jin 4C
Gu KaiZhi
顧愷之
Tang Portrait 8C
Zhang Xuan
張萱
All rights reserved. Rights belong to their respective owners.
Available free for non-commercial, Educational and personal use.
First created on April 2006. Version 3.0 - 19 Aug 2016. Jerry Tse. London.
A Brief History
of Chinese Painting
A personal view on the development of Chinese painting

2. The Pre-history of Decorative Pictorial Arts
Some of the oldest pictorial arts in China.
Palaeolithic rock painting
Rock paintings are very difficult to
date. Some date back to only 3-4000
years. Other claimed to be over 10,000
years old. Photo shows an old rock
painting found in Helan Shan Ningxia
near Yinchuan.
宁夏银川市以西 60 多公里处
的贺兰山岩画
Decorative
motifs on pottery
Yangshao 仰韶
pottery 3000 – 2000 BC
Pictorial decorations
on bronze
Shang, Zhou, Warring
States1500 -221 BC
Pictorial decorations
on bronze
Shang, Zhou, Warring
States1500 -221 BC
Buddhist Grotto mural
Buddhism arrived in China in the
Han dynasty. The earliest
Buddhist grotto mural is
probably c4-5C AD during North
& South Dynastic period.
Pictorial mural in tombs
Han
漢
After centuries of war, by the early years of Han Dynasty about
2C BC, a stable country enable China to return to wealth and
prosperity. Decorative art flourished. Murals were very popular.
They found in palaces, imperial schools, official buildings,
temples etc. Most of the buildings did not survived and
examples of these murals can now be found in tombs.
Decorative art on lacquer 3C BC
Funeral banner on silk
found in Tomb of Lady Dai

4. The Beginning of Painting
- The Archaic Period
A clear distinction between art from craft
is difficult to made. It is generally agreed
that the history of Chinese painting
began in the East Jin Dynasty 東 晉
(317-420).
The best known painter at the time was
Gu Kaizhi 顧 愷 之 (346-407 AD). He
was a court painter. None of his
paintings survived but copies made
centuries later had been attributed to
him.
This is nearly a thousand years before
the beginning of Renaissance in Europe.
Shang 商 c1600 - c1100 BC
Zhou 周 c1100 - 256 BC
Qin 秦 221 – 206 BC
Han 漢 206 BC – 220 AD
Three Kingdom 三國 220 – 265
Jin 晉 263 - 420
Southern Dynasties 南 朝 317 – 589
Northern Dynasties 北 朝 386 - 581
Sui 隋 581 – 618
Tang 唐 618 – 907
Five Dynasty 五代 907 – 960
Ten Kingdom 十國 907 – 979
Song 宋 960 – 1279
Yuan 元 1271 – 1368
Ming 明 1368 – 1644
Qing 清 1644 - 1911
Jin 東晉 (317-420 AD)
Palace Lady, attributed to Gu Kaizhi (317-407)
from a 4-5th
Century Tang copy. 女史箴图
東晉
Dynastic Periods

5. Gu Kaizhi 之顧愷 – Admonition Scroll 女史箴图
The painting ‘Admonitions of the
Court Instructress’, in the British
Museum is one of the most famous
Chinese paintings and possibly the
oldest known painting attributed to a
known Chinese painter.
An extensive study on the painting
was carried out and the results
published in 2001. It concludes that
the painting is a copy of the original
by Gu Kaizhi, painted around the 5th
to the 7th
century, by an unknown
artist. The British Museum version of
the painting has only 9 of the 12
scenes in the original, with 3 scenes
missing.
Right. Scene 9 - Court Instructress
Copies out the Admonitions, a detail
scene on the Admonition Scroll. After
Gu Kaizhi (c345-406). British Museum
Jin 東晉 (317-420)

6. Gu Kaizhi 之顧愷 – Admonition Scroll 女史箴图
Left. Lady Feng and the guards fighting off the bear (not shown). Right. Family scene. Detail scenes from
the Admonition Scroll. After Gu Kaizhi (c345-406). British Museum
Jin 東晉 (317-420)

7. Northern Wei Northern Wdi 北魏 (386-535)
Since the 60s and 70s Chinese
archaeology made many
discoveries. It has given us a
better picture of the
development of arts in China.
Like this narrative figures
painted on the lacquer screen
from an excavated tomb.
Many practices and conventions
were formulated and continued
to use for centuries to come.

8. Tang Dynasty – The
Flowering of Chinese painting
China returned to a period of stability
and prosperity in Tang. All major
genres of Chinese painting – Figure,
Landscape, Flower & Bird, Buddhist
and even monochrome ink painting,
began in Tang.
Pre-Tang is the Archaic period of
Chinese painting and Tang is the
foundation on which all genres and
schools of Chinese painting were built
on.
Most of the famous painters of the time
were court painters.
A copy Lady Kuo-kuo and Her Sisters Setting Forth on an Outing.
Zhang Xuan. Palace Museum. Tang women were among some of
the most liberated women in the history of China, as the painting
showed ladies were allowed riding in the out door. 萱張
唐
Man Herding Horses. Han Gan. 韓幹
Tang 唐 (618 – 907)

9. Tang Dynasty – Wang Wei’s Snow scene.
Wang Wei (698-759 Tang). He was a literary giant and influential painter in Chinese culture, as well as an official in the government. Note the
vanishing landscape on the left and the birds perching and flying on the top of the trees. 王維 - 诗中有画，画中有诗
Tang 唐 (618 – 907)

10. Princess Yongtai and entourage (Detail). Tang dynasty tomb fresco. Note the fashion and the transparent fan,
the low cut dress. Taken in Princess Yountai’s tomb in Xian, China. May 1984.
Tang Dynasty – Tomb Fresco Tang 唐 (618 – 907)

11. Tang 唐 (618 – 907)
唐
Tang Dynasty Buddhist painting
Buddhism arrived in China via the
silk road, around 1st
Century AD,
during the Han Dynasty. The Tang
Dynasty was openly welcoming
foreign influences. There were
numerous travels of Chinese
Buddhist monks to India either by
land or by sea.

12. Tang Dynasty - Palace Concert 宮樂圖 Tang 唐 (618 – 907)
The painting shows 10 court ladies and two
standing servants. The court ladies are
drinking tea, while others drink wine and
playing music – pipes, gugin, lute and flute.
There is a small dog under the table. Note
Tang make-up on the ladies and their hair
style. (a larger image to follow).

14. Tang Dynasty - Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk 搗練圖卷
As nearly all historical Chinese paintings were painted on silk with water based colours, they
aged badly. In time, the silk turns black and lost its colours and attractiveness. The above
painting is the exception. It is one of the best preserved historical paintings scroll I have ever
seen, because it was painted on a layer of gold on silk, close to a thousand year ago. It is
striking when this is compared to China’s most famous painting Qingming Shang He Tu, which
was painted at the same period and hardly visible.
Tang 唐 (618 – 907)

15. The painting is a copy of an earlier painting by Zhang Xuan in the Tang Dynasty roughly about 400 years
earlier. It was probably painted by no other than the Song Dynasty emperor of Huizong. The costumes and
the make-up were all in Tang’s style. Note the use of burning charcoal to iron the newly woven silk cloth.

16. During Tang Dynasty, the Silk Road traffic with
India was flourishing again. The Maritime
route between India and China was being
developed. Buddhist pilgrims travelled to
India. During this period we saw the rise of the
Buddhist influences on Chinese painting.
Tang 唐 (618 – 907)
Tang Dynasty – Buddhist Painting

17. The Zen painting of Shi Ke Five Dynasty 五代 (907 –
960)
石恪
Shi Ke was a Chinese Ink Wash painter of Zen Buddhism.

18. Song (960 – 1279)
宋A zenith of Chinese Painting
Wang Xi meng painted the above scene at the age of 18 at the Imperial Painting Academy. He died soon afterward.
About 200 to 300 years before the beginning of Renaissance in Europe or about 700
years since Gu Kaizhi, Chinese painting reached a zenith in its development, with all
the branches of painting reached new heights, during the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
Song Dynasty was divided into Northern Song and Southern Song. In 1127, the
capital N Song of Kaifang 開封 was overran by Jin 金 and the capital was moved
to Hangzhou 杭州 . Song had always adopted a policy of in favour of the scholar
official instead of the military. It was the ‘Golden age’ of scholar officials. As a result,
Song was culturally and scientifically sophisticated but militarily very weak.
Song 宋 (960 – 1279)

19. Song Dynasty, the turning point. Song 宋 (960 – 1279)
Up until Song, naturalism was the main goal of
painting development. Gradually, naturalism was
replaced by the subjective and spiritualistic
influences of the Impressionistic Literati
movement, in late Song.
Objective views were replaced by the subjective
views of the world. The Literati movement
dominated the development of Chinese painting
since and up until modern times.
Painters were taught not to copy nature but to
paint the images in their mind.
During Song Dynasty the Chinese paintings
reached a zenith. Science and performing arts
e.g. opera, also flourished.
Children at Play on a Winter Day. Anonymous.
Song. Palace Museum. Taipei.
Jagged Rocks and Bamboo Grove. Xia Chang. Ming.

21. Literati - Self Expressionism 文人画
The Literati movement began by the Scholar
Officials in Song, with Su Shih 苏轼 (1036-
1101) being its chief spokesman. By Yuan
Dynasty, it was the main stream of Chinese
painting. In contrast, the court painting
tradition was in decline.
Painting became a way of self expressions
and personal cultivation. Plum blossoms,
orchids, bamboo and chrysanthemums were
the symbols of the movement, representing
the moral qualities of the Confucius scholars.
Daoism and Buddhism helped to reinforce this
development toward the subjective view of the
world.
Painters were less interested in paint nature
as it was but more interesting in using nature
to express themselves. This took Chinese
painting in a different direction from
naturalism. It was the main stream of Chinese
painting until early Qing Dynasty, with its
influence felt even today.
Literati
painted
mostly
landscape
Lofty Mount Lu. Shen Zhou. 沈周 1467.
Ming.
Song 宋 (960 – 1279)

22. Bamboo. 1350 Wu Xhen. 吳鎮 (1280 – 1354). Yuan. National Palace Museum. Taipei.

23. Three main categories – Portrait, Landscape and Flower & Birds
The Chinese painting is traditional divided into 3 genres based on subject matter, but it makes more sense to
include the Buddhist painting, as the fourth genre. The Portrait and the Buddhist painting being the oldest then
followed by Landscape and then Flowers& Birds, sometimes called Gongbi 工筆 painting.
Portrait Landscape Flowers & Birds Buddhist
Late 12C - Early 13C (Song)
by Zhang Sigon.
Early Spring. 1072 (Song).
Monumental Landscape by Guo
Xi.
16C (Qing). Anonymous. Bodhisattva as Guide of
Souls. 9C (Tang).
Anonymous.

24. Figure Painting and Portraiture.
Figure Painting was first developed in the 4C. It always associated with court
painters. It has an affinity with naturalism. At times, Literati Impressionism
influences were being felt. From the series of portraits above, it is clear from the
development of naturalism was stopped in the 12-13C. It experienced a revival in
Qing in the 18C. Last portrait above shows undoubtedly Western influence.
人物
2-3C Han 4C Jin
Mid 7C Early Tang Late 10C Early Song
Late 10C Early Song
Early 13C Late Song Mid 13C Late Song Late 13C Yuan
Late 15C Ming
18C Qing - Emperor Kangxi

26. Landscape 1 山水
Early development of Landscape can be
traced back to 8C in Tang. After the
collapse of Tang, during the Five Dynasty
many painters sought refuge in the
mountains, leading to the development of
Monumental Landscape style.
Left - A Monumental
Landscape by Guo Xi
郭熙 N Song 1072.
From the moral order
of the Five Dynasties,
landscape became
more heroic and
timeless in N Song.
宋
A Song Literati landscape by Mu Qi 牧溪 , with a impressionistic
look.
宋
Right - Landscape by
Huang Gongwang 黃
公望 . 1350. Yuan.
Monochrome more
impressionistic. Could
have painted by Wang
Wei in Tang, some 600
years ago.
元

27. Landscape 2
Composition and styles
were essentially unchanged
from Song to Qing. Literati
influence is strongest in
Yuan but can still be seen
in Qing. Ming’s landscape
paintings were similar to
those in Song.
山水 Left - Dong Qichang 董其昌
(Late Ming) More colour. Essentially
Song Landscape.
明
Qing’s landscape painting
were more colourful and
saw the return of
Monumental Landscape
painting. Individual styles
began to emerge.
Tang Yin 唐寅 (Mid Ming 1523) used a tried and tested composition
form.
明
Wang Hui 王翚 one of the orthodox
painter. Painted in 1692. The return of the
Monumental Landscape.
清
Shitao 石涛 late 17C Qing, a nonformist, impressionistic in
style.
清

28. Flowers & Birds 花鸟
The development of Flower & Bird
paintings is one of the main driver toward
naturalism and it is the last of the three
major genres to be developed. Its origin
can be traced back to the Animal painting
of Tang and to the floral decorations on
Buddhist art.
Literali movement has also made its
influence fell here. Song marked the
height of its development. During the
reign of Song Huizong (1082-1135), over
half of the imperial collections were
Flower & Bird paintings. Naturalism has
achieved to such a degree of naturalism
that individual species can be identified
easily in painting.
Qing saw a revival of the Flower & Birds
genre with new vigour. The hare ran across the path noisily. The jay asked “What is the
hurry to disturbed the peace?”. The hare turned and looked back,
at the jay. Hare & Jays. 1061. Cai Bai 崔白 National Palace
Museum. Taipei.

30. The Zen Buddhist
and Dao 禪道
The scope of sacred art in China is vast.
The presentation only refer to Buddhist
paintings with known artists.
The first well-known Ch’an or Zen and
Dao painters in China were Guanxiu 貫
休 and Shi Ko 石 恪 in the late Tang
and early Five Dynasties, around the 10th
century.
Buddhism and Daoism played a
significant role in the history of Chinese
painting, from the beginnings of the
landscape tradition to the origins of the
literati movement. It is difficult to isolate
any distinctly elements and styles across
the entire spectrum of sacred painting,
apart from its subject matter.
Patriarch and Tiger (copy after Shi Ko 石恪 ) 10th
Century.
五
代
十
國
Sakyamuni Preaching. Zhang Sheng Wen 張勝溫 Late12th
C
宋

32. Along the River During the Qingming Festival c1127 Song 宋 (960 –
1279)
This is regarded as the most precious Chinese painting. It depicts the Northern Song capital in round 1127.

33. Along the River During the Qingming Festival c1127 Song 宋 (960 –
1279)
This is detail section of the 5 meters scroll in the last slide. As the scroll unrolls views of different parts of the
city are revealed. The original painting is in a very fragile state and it is unlike to leave China. It is
permanently stored in special box. The original painting can hardly be seen, as the silk had turned black. The
two images here had been digitally enhanced, so the painting can be seen. The painting shows a bustling of
city in Qingming festival (around early April), when grain ships arrived in the capital bring grain from south
China. The painting is like a time machine, which took us back into history some about 900 years ago.

34. Yuan Dynasty – Self Expressionism 元
Song Dynasty ended in 1279. Not since the
Qin Dynasty, the Chinese experienced such
a repressive regime. Many of the scholar
officials were no longer work for the
bureaucracy. They were in recluse.
As the Imperial Academy was defunct and
court painting was in decline, there was a
fundamental shift toward literati painting.
Chinese painting entered into the stage of
Self Expressionism, in which paintings reflect
the moral and self-cultivation of the painter.
Instead artists painted for their own
enjoyment, to limited audiences. All
attempts to develop naturalism further was
abandoned.
During this period, landscape painting
became the dominant subject, though which
the literati was able to use it as a form of
expression. In term this led to monotony of
subject-matter and reduction of compositions
(few objects in painting). It is also an era of
monochrome bamboo and plum flowers
paintings.
A rather untypical of late Yuan painting by Wang Meng 王蒙
(c13081385), being a more colourful and more complex
composition.

35. Flowers & Birds Yuan 元 1271 – 1368)

36. Ming Dynasty - Revivalism
明
The return of ethnic Han’s rule with the
founding of the Ming Dynasty, led to
revivalism. Painters were looking backward
into history and innovations were not
encouraged. It was only in late Ming that
sparks of innovations started to appear.
The return of the Imperial Academy bought
back some of the Bird & Flowers painting
styles of Song. However, the Literali
movement was firmly established and
continued its expansion to dominate the
general thinking of artistic activities.
Guan Yu capturing His Enemy Pang De (Detail). Ming. Shang Xi 商喜
Gibbons at Play. 1427. Emperor Xuan De 宣德
Ming 明 (1368 – 1644)

37. Ming 明 (1368 – 1644)The Unfortunates by Zhou Chen
This Unfortunates. 1516 (Ming Dynasty 1366-1644). Ink & colour on paper by Zhou Chen 周臣 (1460-
1535).

38. Qing – Revitalised Energy 清
Paintings in Qing can be divided into three
main schools – Orthodox, Individualistic and
Eccentric. Paintings get a boost from its
contact with the West. Paintings become
more colourful.
The Orthodox was the major current in Early
Qing when Manchu Emperors were busy
embracing the traditional Han culture. It
continued the tradition of painting
monumental landscape, perhaps with a bit
more colour.
The Individualists introduced stylistic
changes to traditional painting. Among them
were Shitao 石涛 and Zhu Da 朱耷 , who
were monks, influenced by Ch’an paintings.
The Eccentric School begin in the 18C, with
the “Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou” 楊州八
怪 . It was the beginning of commercial
painting in China. Their eccentricity was
employed very successfully as a marketing
tool.
One of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhoul.

40. Prosperous Suzhou 姑蘇繁華 by Xu Yang 徐
揚
Qing 清 1644 -
1912
Prosperous Suzhou.1759. Ink & colour on silk. 35.6x1153 cm. Xu Yang. Chinese. Liaoning Provincial
Museum.
Detail
scenes
to follow.
During the early Qing Dynasty, the long scroll cityscape genre paintings were very popular.
The style was started in Song Dynasty by Zhang Zeduan, with his famous painting, Along the
River during the Qingming Festival. This type of genre paintings are very rare as it demand a
lot of detail work. A genre cityscape scroll may take half a dozen artists, some five or six years
to complete. Many of these were made to document the southern tours of the Qing emperors,
giving us a gleam into the daily life of the time.

41. Prosperous
Suzhou
姑蘇繁華
by Xu Yang
徐揚
Qing 清 1644 -
1912
Perfumed bathhouse
Passenger ferry
Traffic Jam
Wine & cake shops
Money exchange
Boot shop

42. Prosperous
Suzhou
姑蘇繁華
by Xu Yang
徐揚
Qing 清 1644 -
1912
The painting was
painted to show the
prosperity of China,
during the reign of
Emperor Qianlong.

43. Impact of the West - Giuseppe Castiglione
Qing 清 1644 -
1912
Giuseppe Castiglione 郎世寧 (1688-1766) was
an Italian Jesuit, who arrived in Macau in 1715.
Macau was the place where missionary to China
was trained in the Chinese language and culture
before starting their life in China. Castiglione was
sent to China by the request of the Qing emperor
for a painter. He adapted his Western painting
style to Chinese themes and taste.
The arrival of Giuseppe Castiglione marked the
beginning of Western influence on Chinese
paintings, within and outside the court. It provided
the impetus for Chinese painting to break away
from centuries of stagnations, to explore new styles
and new subject matters that we can still witness
today.

44. Modern Chinese Movements
– A New Beginning 现代
Western painting gave traditional Chinese painting a
boost in Qing Dynasty. In the early 20th century there
was a strong desire of the Chinese artists wanting a
decisive break with the past and to branch out, while
others wanted to incorporate the Western approach in a
Chinese context. This was also echoed in the politics of
the period.
Paintings became more colourful and the subject matter
widened significantly. In the early half of the century, we
had The Shanghai School, the Lingnan School and the
Woodcut movements. Many artists were consciously
experimenting or importing Western techniques and
styles, to merge with the traditional Chinese painting.
The second half of the 20C Chinese painting was
dominated by political the atmosphere at the time. The
early years saw the strong influence of the official Soviet
art. In the final years of the 20C, Chinese painting was
once again freed to find its outlets.
Lotus and Frog. 1954. Qi Baishi. 白石齊

45. Xu Beihong (1895-1953) a modern Chinese painter, who drew inspirations from the traditional as well as
Western sources. He studies in France.

46. A modern Chinese woodcut
The Chinese woodcut has a very long
history in China. It originates as
woodblock printing. The earliest dates
back to the Han Dynasty (206BC -220
AD).
In the 20th
Century, Chinese woodcut
underwent a dramatic renaissance, which
saw the introduction of more
expressionistic and realistic techniques,
drawing inspiration from the West as well
as from Japan. On the right is modern
woodcut by Yuan Qinglu in 1995.

47. Although the water based Chinese painting limit its ability to represent real objects.
However, it is not difficult to imagine that the Chinese would have painted with oil, if there
is such a need. The fact that the Chinese did not do so, suggest that naturalism is not the
primary driving force behind their painting, at least after the Song Dynasty. As we seen
previously, this is highlighted by the development of the Literati Movement.
Another noticeable difference is the format (or size) of their paintings. The Chinese
favour hanging scroll and hand scroll in which different parts of the painting is revealed
simply by scrolling the painting. Thus the Chinese perspectives is the perspective of a
moving observer. This is not unlike the computer game graphic (isometric) perspective,
which is also used in Engineering drawings. This contrast with the single stationary
observer perspectives developed in the West.
Both the West and the Chinese also use tonal perspective to give painting its depth by
fading of strong colours to show receding distances.
Chinese painting is primarily water based, compare to the oil base painting of the West.
According to John Berger oil painting was invented so that it can present a object
accuracy or to create an illusion of reality.
“What distinguishes oil painting from any other form of painting is its special ability to render the
tangibility, the texture, the lustre, the solidity of what it depicts. It defines the real as that which you
can put your hands on.” Ways of Seeing p88.
Some Different between the Western and Chinese traditions

48. Perspectives in Chinese
Painting
Chinese paintings use a different
techniques to express perspectives.
Unlike the West’s single point or station
perspective, the Chinese use a moving
point perspective. Therefore Chinese
paintings has no vanishing point. It also
uses colours to enhance distance.
Chinese paintings do not use shading
and objects can appear flat and without
solidity.
The way perspective used in Chinese
painting scroll is like a bird flying along
the scene at 20m to 30m high, varying its
height and distance as it goes along.
There is no clear horizon in the painting. It
is a truly bird eye view of the area. It is
similar to perspective used in engineering
technical drawings.
A device used to draw parallel lines thus maintaining the
isometric perspective, like engineering drawing.
Restaurant on the upper floor.

50. The Environment of the practitioners - Painters
The history of Western painting began around 13-14C. Many of the early painters were
craftsmen. They depended their livelihoods on patronage and more importantly on
commissions. It was common that well-know painters had their own workshops to help in the
production of paintings. Competition between rivals led to improvement in techniques, which
can made rapid changes in decades.
Religion particular the use of paintings in churches played a crucial role in the early
development of painting in the West. Masterpieces are on displayed in church for all to see.
By the 17C painters started to sell their paintings to the middle class in the Netherlands,
making it possible for artists to pursue an independent career as a painter.
Chinese painters were primarily scholar officials or court painters, who do not need to win
commissions and to earn a living from selling their paintings. In fact the practice was frown
on. They normally came from the more privilege background.
Painting together calligraphy were seen as part of the activity of the educated elites. Unless
one had the access of the imperial painting library or belong to the Scholar Official class,
masterpieces were unlikely to be seen by the public.
Commercial paintings only appeared in China in the mid-19C.

51. Observations and Conclusions
The answer to the question why the Chinese never develop naturalism
to the same level of the West is that they did not want to. Naturalism
was not their goal. [at least after Song]
This outcome must throw back to the cultural context, the philosophy
and the social values in which Chinese painting was developed. In my
view the critical environment for the development of painting in China
and in the West were affected by the social, economic and political
environment of its practitioners, ie. the roles of the painters in its
historical settings and their relationship with society.
From the history of painting in the West and in the China, the early
driving force is naturalism. Once reached the driver for further
development passes from the objective reality in painting to subjective
expressionism of the artists.
The collision of two cultures, the West and the Chinese, in this case
does not lead to the suppression or domination of one cultures over
another. The impact of Western painting gave the Chinese new
incentives to revitalise its own tradition, which remains virtually
unchanged for 700 years between Song and Qing Dynasties.
Giotto 14C

53. Appendix - Confession and Words of Caution
Because most of Chinese paintings were painted on silk, which darken with age. Unlike oil paintings,
they do not preserve well. Furthermore the much longer history of Chinese painting mean it has more
time to deteriorate. Thus it is more difficult to appreciate Chinese painting in its original state. All
the paintings in this presentation have been digitally altered to produce a clearer image, with
different degrees of satisfaction. Thus many of the paintings in this presentation would look different
in books or other alternate media.
Furthermore many of the original paintings were lost because of the length of time involved and
works by well known painters are usually copies made by other lesser painters at a later period.
The presentation is based on an essay I wrote during Christmas of 2001 to construct a model of
understanding of the history of Chinese painting. The model gives me a valuable perspective to relate
to other Chinese paintings I encounter.
The purpose of the presentation is to share with the reader, a simple, clear cut understanding of the
historical development of Chinese painting in the briefest possible way. Like any other model, it
should be tested to destruction, as you explore Chinese paintings in the future.
The major risk of this approach is over-simplification. Inevitably, I can only focus on the main events
and the main currents in history. In reality, history is more complicate and never clear cut as
presented. Counter movements and currents are part of history and like all generality in history must
be heavily qualified.

54. All rights reserved. Rights belong to their respective
owners. Available free for non-commercial and personal
use.
The End
Music – Chopin Etude No 3 Op 10 E Major
‘Tristesse’, performed by Lang Lang.
Wang Meifang and Zhao Guojing. Flowers & Birds style, contemporary.

55. History Powerpoints