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 a guide to the main principles which underpin fine art in China, see: Traditional Chinese Art: Characteristics. For the history and development of painting (ink and wash, shan shui) see: Chinese Art Timeline (c.18,000 BCE - present). 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.