Title: Chinese Painting: Characteristics, Types, History
Headings: Chinese Painting (from c.200 BCE)
Characteristics and Aesthetics

Chinese Painting (from c.200 BCE)
Characteristics and Aesthetics
Content: For an idea of the abiding Western fascination for Asian art - notably Chinese-style imagery - see: Chinoiserie, the pseudo-Chinese style of decoration which took off in Europe during the 18th century. Chinese Ink and Wash Painting
Developed in China during the prosperous era of Tang Dynasty art (618-907), ink and wash painting was invented by Wang Wei, who was the first artist to apply colour to existing forms of painting. Wash Painting ("brush painting" or " watercolour painting ") was further refined during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), before Buddhist monks introduced it to Japan where it grew in popularity until its peak during the Japanese Muromachi period (1338-1573). The materials used in Wash Painting are very similar to those used in Calligraphy. Wash painters typically grind their own ink using an ink stick and a grinding stone. Ink sticks are usually composed of densely packed charcoal ash from bamboo or pine soot mixed with glue extracted from fish bones. Brushes can be made from goat hair, ox, horse, sheep, rabbit, marten, badger, deer, boar or wolf hair. The hair is tapered to a fine point, an essential requirement in Wash painting. As in oil painting, different brushes have different qualities.