Traditional Chinese painting

Today, from Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, 5 star resort in Spain, we are bringing you to the oriental art world. Asian culture has left a historical legacy with great artistic contributions to humanity. A good example is the traditional Chinese painting.

Traditional Chinese painting or guóhuà, “national painting”, is a perfectly defined art form which reflects national consciousness, inclination and aesthetic disposition. It shows ancient Chinese people´s understanding of nature and society.

The history of traditional Chinese painting is divided into five long periods: the  Eastern Jin Dynasty (265-420), the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Song and Yuan Dynasties(960-1368), Late imperial China (1368-1911) and Modern painting which copies traditional techniques.

During the first half of the Tang Dynasty, the landscape and the paintings which symbolized flowers and birds began to gain relevance. With the Tang Dynasty painting flourished in the royal court, and during Song and Yuand Dynasties excitement grew for the natural world.

Traditional Chinese painting comprises three main categories: landscape painting, flowers painting and human figure paintings. These three theme include three aspects of the universe and human life. The human paintings describe society and interpersonal relationships, landscape painting expresses the relationship between men and nature, and fauna and flora symbolize the varieties of natural life and how they live in harmony with men.

It emphasizes unity among subjectivity and objectivity of the artistic image. Traditional Chinese painting reflects China´s philosophical and aesthetic concepts. The works can either be very symbolic and intriguing or extremely detailed.

It uses unique brush and ink techniques. The brush and the ink are also used for transmitting the aim of the painting. The central element of Chinese painting is the line. Lines are the main elements of calligraphy too, therefore both arts have been closely associated since their origin.

Currently traditional Chinese painting is still practised and has been adopted by numerous artists from around the world. Its technique, the materials used and pictorial motifs have remained unchaged over time.

If you would like to enjoy the Asian culture without moving from Spain, come to our luxury hotel Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa.