The technique of traditional Chinese painting is divided into
two major styles: meticulous (gongbi) and freehand (xieyi). Meticulous
style requires great care and grace; the strict composition has
fine elaboration. The effect is highly decorative. Freehand style
generalizes shapes and displays rich brushwork and ink technique.
It is easier for beginners, hence this book introduces the techniques
of freehand painting, covering brush techniques and the use of ink
and colour.
Brush Techniques
Lines play a decisive role in the formation of images in traditional
Chinese painting, and the variations in lines are, in the main,
determined by the method of using the brush. Consequently, in learning
the basic techniques of traditional Chinese painting, you should
first grasp the basic techniques of using the brush. For instance,
you need to pay attention to how you hold the brush, to start a
stroke, continue it and come to an end, how you move your brush
quickly or slowly, lightly or heavily, and how you vary lifting
or pressing your brush. In general, the brush can be divided into
three parts: tip, belly and root. Their properties and functions
differ from one another. Sometimes you paint with the tip of the
brush, as light as gossamer on the paper. Sometime^ you press the
root of the brush heavily on the paper. Sometimes you use the belly
of the brush to bring out charms full of vitality. There are also
times you use several parts of the brush in one stroke. This depends
entirely on how flexibly you use your brush to present an object.
If you succeed, your lines will be vivid and forceful, and you will
bring out the spiritual characteristics of the object you're portraying.
The use of the brush in freehand painting allows for a full range
of variations.
You should paint flexibly and freely. Do not mechanically copy strokes,
or your painting will be stagnant and insignificant. How can you
make your painting unconstrained? To begin with, you should observe
carefully physical and spiritual changes in objects and the state
of mind you intend to present, then you have a clear conception
of what you wish to paint. When you paint in this way, your painting
will be vivid, interesting and lifelike.
There is a saying in Chinese about having a picture of bamboo in
your mind. It means that before an artist paints, he must carefully
observe the growth and shape of the bamboo and have them clearly
in mind. Then in painting the bamboo will be finished at one go
and depicted vividly.
In freehand painting you should pay attention to how you hold the
brush. Do not move your fingers only. It is important to coordinate
them with your wrist, elbow and shoulder. You should practise until
you are able to paint with your wrist suspended. Thus you may paint
with ease the longest line, the roundest circle, and bamboo poles
or willow twigs several feet long.
The Use of Iink
Ink occupies an exceedingly important position in traditional Chinese
painting, whether it is figure painting, landscape painting or flower-and-bird
painting, pure line drawing, ink-and-wash, light colouring or heavy
colouring. Black is the main colour of traditional Chinese painting,
and black has five shades (see p. 10). Th.e use of ink involves
four processes: outlining showing the shades and texture of rocks
and mountains by light ink stroke, applying dots and colouring.
In the use of ink you should stress that "colour does not impair
ink" and "colour does not destroy the shape." Images
are primary. Brushwork and ink depict the images, and colours only
enrich them. You should also understand the relationship between
water and ink. What gives ink-and-wash paintings their unique flavour
is that they make use of darkness or lightness, density or dilution
to present the light and colour possessed by various objects, especially
the particular effect formed between water, ink and unprocessed
xuan paper. Even a painting executed a long, long time ago still
looks refreshing and full of vitality today. Hence, in learning
traditional Chinese painting, you should grasp the use of water
and ink. If water and ink are well used, a painting is already halfway
done. If they are not well used, it will not be a traditional Chinese
painting.
In using ink, you must pay attention to the following points: 1)
When grinding an ink stick on an ink slab, grind slowly rather than
quickly, thickly rather than thinly. 2) Before painting, always
wash the brush and ink slab, so as to prevent impurities or sediment
in the ink. 3) Old ink, namely, ink ground the previous day, cannot
be used to paint, especially for flower-and-bird painting in the
meticulous style. Such ink easily oozes or becomes light when it
comes into contact with water. This defect becomes more serious
when painting on silk. Old ink sometimes can be used for landscape
painting, but the painting will not be sufficiently bright and pure.
Sometimes you may blend old and new ink for use.
The Use of Color
The use of colour in traditional Chinese painting stresses the intrinsic
colour of the object, varying the shades on the basis of the intrinsic
colours. Very early in ancient China the principle was set forth:
"Colours should be presented in accordance with the requirements
of different categories of objects." Colour in Chinese painting
is mostly used after finishing the basic modelling with brushwork
and ink. It involves variations of brightness of the intrinsic colours,
mutual contrast and harmonious relations between various intrinsic
colours, coordination of brush-work and ink technique and consideration
of colours' textural functions on paper and silk. Traditional Chinese
painting does not depict the complexities of light and colour, but,
all the same, it achieves truthful effect with exceedingly artistic
appeal.
The method of colouring in traditional Chinese painting, stressing
mainly the intrinsic colours, does not aim at naturalistic imitation.
It proceeds from content and is subordinate to the requirements
of the theme. It can exaggerate to the fullest extent and boldly
change the intrinsic colours of the object, bringing out the theme
prominently and expressing the artist's ideas and feelings to achieve
ideal artistic effect and producing direct, pure, and bright aesthetic
appeal.
We shall illustrate specific methods of colouring in the plates,
so shall not explain further here. But beginners should be reminded
to pay attention to one point: When you paint on raw xuan paper,
you must pay attention to dryness and moist-ness, thickness and
thinness of the ink. Generally, when the painting is moist, the
colour looks heavier, and after the painting dries, the colour is
lighter. Hence, when you paint, the colours should be slightly heavy.
Then they will be appropriate after the painting has dried.
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