Chinese Painting Aesthetics
Presentation of Traditional Chinese Painting
Formats for Chinese painting varied widely over time, including massive wall-paintings, large, free-standing screens, horizontal hand scrolls, vertical hanging scrolls, folded or bound albums, and fans. The horizontal hand-scroll allowed the viewer to enjoy one segment at a time, unrolling the scenes from right to left. Hanging scrolls were suspended on walls and could be wound up easily for storage. They allowed the viewer to shift position, moving in close to examine details and standing farther away to view the entire composition as a whole.
Mounting styles went through periods of change, and painters and owners took pains to match the style of the original work with an aesthetically pleasing background. Chinese paintings were not considered finished until they were mounted properly. As materials, paper and silk were easily torn, and mounting, plus the addition of rollers, staves, and protective wrappers, were used to conserve the original painting. The best presentation of a classical Chinese painting is to have it mounted in the proper style.
Three Basic Reasons for Mounting Chinese Paintings in a Scroll Format
1.Aesthetic Value. The mounting style is critical to the physical charm of the painting. The presentation of the painting reflects not only the skill and knowledge of the mounting specialist and the inspiration of the artist, but also the particular taste of the owner of the painting. Each painting is mounted in accord with the style associated with the original work and its historical context. An inappropriate mounting style will damage the credibility of the work and throw into question the judgment of both artist and patron.
2. Conservation and Safety. High-quality mounting prevents the painting from being damaged by improper handling or display. Silk and paper are easily torn, broken, cracked, or damaged. Outside of China it is very costly to repair damaged paintings and their mountings.
3. Economic Considerations. Although not without cost, having your painting mounted will preserve the quality and increase the value of your painting many times over. Most of our paintings are mounted in China, but we do offer the possibility of having them custom-mounted in Hong Kong or Taiwan. If you are interested in a painting but want a different mounting style, you can discuss your options with our Chinese painting specialists by Contact Us. We assure you that we will find the best presentation solution for your painting, perhaps by having the painting reshaped or by converting the painting into a frame presentation format.
