CHINESE PAINTERS: Painting Women Playing Games

Chinese Painting, Painting by of Ink wash on paper. Painting using ink and paper.

Ladies Playing Double-Sixes, By Zhou Fang, the Chinese Painter Eigth Century AD.

If the people of China were to be identified with one word of our dictionary; the word unfailingly would be “Unique”. It is because the People of China have lived and behaved in so unique manner. Being one of the holders of the oldest and continuous tradition of art, Chinese artists have tried making their painting ornamental instead of making them looking representational. But they have kept the visual beauty in tact.

THE CHINESE ART: The art of painting in China is as old as we can predict. The first recognized pieces of art of painting belong to as early as second century BC. During this period the kings sponsored the artists. And the kings’ courts were the main patrons of the art. This is the branch of paintings which has seen maximum dynasties and equal number of ups and downs.

Perhaps developed as a ‘sister art’ or a ‘parallel art’ of ‘calligraphy, the painting was an activity of leisure among the Chinese aristocrats and scholar-officials of the time. Unlike the use of colours for paintings, the First batch of the paintings available was painted with ink on silk. But with invent of paper, and as the use of paper became routine, the Chinese painters made the cheap material of paper their base for the paintings. They would paint on paper and then mount it on a scroll to be hanged on walls or courts, monasteries and the houses of wealthy people.

The above painting is from Zhou Fang. He was one of the two most famous figure painters of the Tang dynasty of china that ruled in china from 618 to 907 AD. The painting is executed with a fine line and soft and glowing colours used in Chinese tradition. The painter Zhou Fang's paintings of Buddha, celestial beings, figures, and paintings of beautiful women were painted in a beautiful manner.