The Art of Chinese Painting

Written and drawn by Jayne Aw

Please click here to view paintings with titles in bigger frames (click SlideShow, F11 key)

My affection for nature has extended my interest into drawing. And I got myself signed up for a painting class 1.5 years ago, yes Chinese brush painting.

There are generally two techniques in Chinese brush painting, which are
• Meticulous - Gong-bi (工 笔), often referred to as "court-style" painting
• Freehand - Shui-mo (水墨) or "Xie yi" (写 意).
While the meticulous artists attempt to represent three-dimensional objects and to master the illusion of space, the freehand artists strive to freely express their feelings and to capture the inner spirit of their subject instead of describing its outward appearance.

One often sees things base on one's own perception. Learning perception through drawing allows a different and more direct kind of seeing, permitting one to see more fully and completely. This kind of seeing can marvelously enrich one's life, as one artist lyrically states, "to become a confidant of the natural world, to awaken your eye to the lovely language of forms, to express yourself in that language."
Pine Tree
I started with the painting of simple objects like flowers, trees, fruits etc. Though I am learning the freehand drawing, my teacher often comments that my drawing is "too perfect", for a flower truly looks like a flower, and a tree truly looks like a tree. Indeed my "Pine Tree" is just like an immaculately pruned bonsai!

Pine tree represents silence and majesty and detachment from life. Like a wise old man, it understands everything but it does not talk and therein lie its mystery and grandeur.
PeonyPeony is regarded as the "king of flowers" and the symbol of rich and happy man.

Not too long ago, my company had a fund raising campaign for the Sichuan and Myanmar disasters and I contributed two of my paintings, "Peonies" and "Rambutans" for the auction. Thanks to my compassionate and generous colleagues, these two paintings were bid at RM1,000 and RM500 respectively. And special thanks to those who joined in the fun to push up the prices.
x
Landscapes
The beauty of landscapes in painting lies in the freedom and luxuriousness of the brush and the ink.

Chinese artists love to draw mountain for its enormity which has a cathartic effect of cleansing one's chest-full of foolish thoughts and worries. By looking at the mountain's enormity amidst nature's tranquility, one's heart truly opens up.
.x
.
If you can't visualize what I was drawing in these two paintings, bingo! Perhaps I have already mastered the technique of freehand drawing. My teacher was rather impressed with the 1st drawing which depicts a reflection of maple trees with a backdrop of mountain range, over a lake where a couple of fishing boats are retiring from the day's catch. And the yellow dots are the fireflies that illuminate an otherwise dark forest.

The 2nd drawing is of a setting sun over a range of distant mountains, with a flock of flamingos retiring at the river bank.

- The setting sun is immensely beautiful,
- Only it will soon be dusk.

x
.Lotus vs. Water Lily
I never bother to know the difference between a lotus and a water lily until I learned to draw one. You too can find out the difference from these 2 pictures.

Lotus is like a noble gentleman, grows out of dirty water but is not contaminated by it. Chinese artists and poets love it for its beauty and purity. Functionally, every part of lotus is utilized. Its flower is enjoyed for its beauty; its root is used for drink and soup; its seed has many uses, while its leave is used for wrapping food.
Plum Blossom
Chinese New Year will not be Chinese New Year without plum blossom, which is regarded as a gentleman who has the inner strength and character to persevere under any condition. Here I have painted a branch of plum blossoms to usher in the 2009 Chinese New Year, and hope you too, will withstand this challenging year like a plum blossom.

From

Jayne Aw.

Posted by KC
.