Expert's Notebook
Collecting Chinese painting is an expression of your own value and taste. It is not as complicated as it sounds. Everybody can do it if they equip themselves with a basic understanding of Chinese aesthetics, Chinese brush painting, and styles of visual presentation. The following comments might help you make sense of what to look for in a Classical Chinese Painting, how to examine the quality of the work, how to understand popular Chinese symbols, and how to make Chinese art part of your life.
Knowledge of Chinese art and connoisseurship will enrich your life in many ways. A fine collection of even a few pieces of traditional Chinese art says a lot about you. To your friends and family, it shows how seriously you take the space in your home and how you imagine your most refined self. It allows you to follow your intellectual interests and express your sensibility as well, all while watching your investment grow.
You Don't Have to Be An Expert
Collect Chinese Painting without Being a Specialist
The first step in understanding a Chinese painting is to pay attention to the materials used. Chinese artists are trained to use two natural materials: silk and paper. The choice between silk and paper depends on the historical period in question or the personal preference of the artist.
Second, consider the quality of the painting by examining carefully the traces of the movement of the pointed brush. Brushes made of various kinds of animal hairs are the major implement in traditional Chinese painting. The outline of figures and all important features is typically done with a pointed brush. A traditionally-trained Chinese artist is usually very choosy about his brushes, in order to create specific visual effects.
Third, look at the broader brushstrokes, usually used to apply a wash or fill-in, either in black (monochrome) or color. Pay attention to the volume of the ink applied, the smoothness of the lines, and the variety of linear expression. After the fundamental composition, brushwork is considered to be the second personal signature of the Chinese artist. The volume of an object is usually built up by various lines, layered shading, and toned colors.
Fourth, learn about the artist in question; do some research. Look for a detailed biography of the artist in scholarly publications, find out what later art critics or the artist's contemporaries said about his work, and study the artist's followers. All of this will help you understand and appreciate the authenticity and originality of the painting in question. If you are interested in Traditional Chinese Paintings , knowledge of the original artist as well as the modern master will enrich your appreciation of the piece
