17/05/2019 Bird Painting | Chinese Art Gallery | China Online Museum

Bird Painting

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 Home >> Art >> Painting >>     History 
   Four Treasures     Masters     Gallery     Landscape    
Flowers     Birds     Famous Paintings 
 
       Over the course of Chinese painting, the three main
subjects have been landscapes, birds‑and‑flowers, and
figures. Flower painting, previously associated chiefly with
Buddhist art, came into its own as a separate branch of
painting in the Five Dynasties (907‑960). Along with flowers
came birds. At Chengdu in Sichuan, the master Huang Quan
黃筌
( , ca.903‑965) developed the naturalistic style (xiesheng
寫生 , “sketch life”, or lifelike painting) for painting birds.
This technique was mainly adopted by professional or court
painters, in contrast to the freehand style of “sketching
ideas (xieyi, 寫意)”. 

(Click on the thumbnails to view high resolution images.) 

Huang Quan, "Birds by Sketching Life"

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       In the Song Dynasty (960‑1279), the meticulous “sketch

life” style was further developed by artists such as Cui Bai
(崔白 , ca.1044‑1088). In addition, the northern Song
emperors were enthusiastic patrons of the arts. The most
renowned is Huizong, or Zhao Ji ( 趙佶
, 1082‑1135), perhaps
the most knowledgeable of all Chinese emperors about the
arts. Zhao Ji was himself an accomplished calligrapher (he
developed a unique and extremely elegant style known as
“slender gold”) and a painter chiefly of birds and flowers in
the realistic tradition. While meticulous in detail, his works
were subjective in mood, following poetic themes that were
calligraphically inscribed on the painting. A fine example of
the kind of painting attributed to him is the minutely
observed and carefully painted Five‑Colored Parakeet on
Blossoming Apricot Tree (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston). He
demanded the same qualities in the work of his court
painters and would add his cipher to pictures of which he
approved. It is consequently very difficult to distinguish the
work of the emperor from that of his favored court artists. 

Cui Bai, "Two Magpies" Zhao Ji, "Five-Colored Parakeet"

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Zhao Ji, "Eyes Embroidered with Zhao Ji, "Birds on Bamboo"

Plums"

       In the Yuan Dynasty, the restriction of the scholars'

opportunities at court and the choice of many of them to
withdraw into seclusion rather than serve the Mongols created a
heightened sense of class identity and individual purpose,
which in turn inspired their art. Qian Xuan ( 錢選
, 1235‑1305)
was among the first to define this new direction. From Wuxing
(吳興 ) in Zhejiang, he steadfastly declined an invitation to
serve at court, as reflected in his painting style and themes.
Before the Mongol conquest, however, Qian Xuan was a
conservative painter, especially of realistic flowers and birds.
Later he altered his style to incorporate the primitive qualities
of ancient painting, favoring the Tang blue‑and‑green manner
in his landscape painting, and stiff or peculiarly mannered
renditions of vegetation and small animals.

       On the other hand, the most distinguished of the scholar‑

painters was Zhao Mengfu ( 趙孟頫
, 1254–1322), a fellow
townsman and younger follower of Qian Xuan who became a
high official and president of the imperial Hanlin Academy in
the Mongol court. In his official travels he collected paintings
by Tang and Song masters that inspired him to revive and
reinterpret the classical styles in his own fashion. Zhao Mengfu
excelled in landscape painting (see his Autumn Colors), flower‑
and‑bird painting, as well as calligraphy. 

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Qian Xuan, "Return of Swallows" Zhao Mengfu, "Hoopoe on

Bamboo"

       In the Ming Dynasty, court painters Bian Jingzhao ( 邊景  

昭 , fl. early 15th century) and his follower Lü Ji ( , 呂紀

1477‑?) carried forward the bird‑and‑flower painting
tradition of Huang Quan, Cui Bai, and the Song emperor
Huizong. Lü Ji's paintings display two distinct styles. Some of
his works employ brilliant colors in a very meticulous
rendition, while others are more fluid with light colors added
to ink and wash, probably catering to the different tastes of
the emperors he served. 

Bian Jingzhao, "A Hundred Birds" Lü Ji, "Laurel, Chrysanthemum, and

Birds"

       Outside the court, the most outstanding Ming dynasty

literati painter is Shen Zhou ( 沈周
, 1427–1509). Shen Zhou
was the pioneer of the Wu School of painting, in today’s
Suzhou and Lake Tai region. He never became an official but

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instead devoted his life to painting and poetry. Shen Zhou

commanded a wide range of styles and techniques, on which
he impressed his warm and vigorous personality. He also
became the first to establish among the literati painters a
flower‑and‑bird painting tradition.  

Shen Zhou, "Two Crows in A Tree" Shen Zhou, "Turtledove Calling for
Rain"

       Shen Zhou’s works, executed in the “sketching ideas

(xieyi  寫意 )” style, were followed with greater technical
versatility by Chen Chun ( 陳淳
, 1483‑1544) and Xu Wei ( , 徐渭
1521‑1593) in the Ming and then by Shitao ( 石濤
, 1642‑1707)
and Zhu Da ( 朱耷, 1626‑1705) of the early Qing. Their work,
in turn, served as the basis for the revival of flower‑and‑bird
painting in the late 19th and the 20th century.

Chen Chun, "Cotton Rose and A Shitao, "Autumn Eagle"

Wild Duck"

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       In Zhu Da’s paintings, usually in ink monochrome, such

creatures as birds and fishes are given a curious, glowering,
sometimes even perverse personality. He used an abbreviated,
wet style that, while deceptively simple, captures the very
essence of the flowers, plants, and creatures he portrays.
Unlike most Chinese painters, he does not easily fit into any
traditional category; in character and personality he was the
complete eccentric and “individualist.” 

Zhu Da, "Bamboo, Rock, and Zhu Da, "Eagles on Dead Wood"
Mandarin Ducks"
 
       At the turn of the 20th century, Shanghai, which had
been forcibly opened to the West in 1842 and boasted a
newly wealthy clientele, was the logical site for the first
modern innovations in Chinese art. A Shanghai regional style
had appeared by the 1850s, led by Ren Xiong ( , 1823‑ 任熊
1857), his more popular follower Ren Yi ( 任頤
, Ren Bonian 任
伯年 , 1840‑1896), and Ren Yi's follower Wu Changshuo ( 吳昌
碩 , 1844‑1927). The style drew its inspiration from a series of
aforementioned Individualist artists of the Ming and Qing. It
focused on birds and flowers and figural themes more than
the old landscape tradition did, and it emphasized
decorative qualities, exaggerated stylization, and satiric
humor rather than refined brushwork and sober classicism.
Under Wu Changshuo's influence, this style was passed on to
Beijing in the early 20th century through the art of Chen
Shizeng and Qi Baishi.  

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Ren Bonian, "Peach Blossom and Wu Changshuo, "Bamboo and

Bird" Sparrows"

       Chen Shizeng ( 陳師曾

, 1876‑1923) came from a family of
prominent officials and scholars. In 1902 Chen went to Japan
for further study. While focusing on natural history, he
continued to practice traditional Chinese painting and to study
Western art. He stayed in Japan until 1910 — one year before
the Republic of China was established — at which time he
returned to China, taught art, and became prominent in artistic
circles. Although not strictly conservative — he approved of
experimenting with innovative techniques and learning from
Western art — Chen believed in the value of traditional Chinese
painting. His flower paintings were influenced by Ming Dynasty
painters Chen Chun ( 陈淳
) and Xu Wei ( 徐渭
), and his landscape
style was drawn from Shen Zhou ( 沈周
) and Shitao ( ), 石涛
among others. Chen Shizeng was deeply concerned with the
fate of traditional Chinese art, and he worked closely with the
Japanese art historian Omura Seigai to stem the tide of
modernization that was threatening the classical tradition.
Together they published The Study of Chinese Literati Painting
(中國文人畫之研究 ) in 1922, which examined the history of
Chinese scholar‑painters who incorporated their knowledge of
poetry and other arts into their painting. 

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Chen Shizeng, "Bamboo and Chen Shizeng, "Resting on A

Sparrows" Branch"

       Qi Baishi ( 齊白石 , 1864‑1957) was another major artist in

support of more traditional styles, who combined Shanghai style
with an infusion of folk‑derived vitality. Qi was of humble
origins, and it was largely through his own efforts that he
became adept at the arts of poetry, calligraphy, painting, and
seal‑carving. Some of Qi's major influences include the Ming
Dynasty artist Xu Wei ( 徐渭
) and the early Qing Dynasty painter
Zhu Da ( 朱耷 ). In his forties, Qi Baishi began traveling and
looking for more inspiration. He came upon the Shanghai
School, which was very popular at the time, and met Wu
Changshuo ( 吴昌硕 ) who then became another mentor to him
and inspired a lot of his works. Another influence of Qi Baishi
came about fifteen years later, as Qi became close to Chen
Shizeng ( 陈师曾 ) after he settled down in Beijing. Qi Baishi
theorized that “paintings must be something between likeness
and unlikeness.” His prodigious output reflects a diversity of
interests and experience, generally focusing on the smaller
things of the world rather than the large
landscape. Shrimp, fish, crabs, frogs, and peaches were his
favorite subjects. Using heavy ink, bright colors, and vigorous
strokes, he created works of a fresh and lively manner that
expressed his love of nature and life.  

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Qi Baishi, "Magpies and Plums" Qi Baishi, "Two Ducks"

 
       On the other hand, the first Chinese artists to respond
to international developments in modern art were those who
had visited Japan, where the issues of modernization
appeared earlier than they did in China. Among the first
Chinese artists to bring back Japanese influence were Gao
Jianfu ( 高劍父 , 1879‑1951), his brother Gao Qifeng ( , 高奇峰
1889‑1933), and Chen Shuren ( 陳樹人
, 1884‑1948). Gao
Jianfu studied art for four years in Japan, beginning in 1898;
during a second trip there, he met Sun Yat‑sen, and
subsequently, in Guangzhou (Canton), he participated in the
uprisings that paved the way for the fall of imperial rule and
the establishment of a republic in 1911. Inspired by the
“New Japanese Style,” the Gao brothers and Chen
inaugurated a “New National Painting” movement, which in
turn gave rise to a Cantonese, or Lingnan (“Range South”, 嶺
南 ), regional style that incorporated Euro‑Japanese
characteristics. Although the new style did not produce
satisfying or lasting solutions, it was a significant harbinger
and continued to thrive in Hong Kong, practiced by such
artists as Zhao Shao'ang ( 趙少昂
, 1905‑1998). 

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Gao Jianfu, "Cotton Roses and Gao Qifeng, "Peacock Spreading

Mandarin Ducks" Tail"

Chen Shuren, "Yellow Flower Zhao Shaoang, "Flower and Bird"

Festival"

       The first establishment of Western‑style art instruction

also dates from this period. A small art department was opened
in Nanjing High Normal School in 1906, and the first art
academy, later to become the Shanghai Art School, was
founded in 1912, by the 16‑year‑old Liu Haisu ( 劉海粟
, 1896‑
1994). Increasingly, by the mid‑1920s, young Chinese artists
were attracted not just to Japan but also to Paris and German
art centers. A trio of these artists brought back some
understanding of the essential contemporary European
traditions and movements. Liu Haisu was first attracted to
Impressionist art, while Lin Fengmian ( 林風眠
, 1900‑1991), who
became director of the National Academy of Art in Hangzhou in
1928, was inspired by the experiments in color and pattern of

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Henri Matisse and the Fauves. Lin advocated a synthesis

combining Western techniques and Chinese expressiveness and
left a lasting mark on the modern Chinese use of the brush.
Another major artist, Xu Beihong ( 徐悲鴻
, 1895‑1953), head of
the National Central University's art department in Nanjing,
eschewed European Modernist movements in favor of more
conservative Parisian academic styles. He developed his facility
in drawing and oils, later learning to imitate pencil and chalk
with the Chinese brush. The monumental figure paintings he
created would serve as a basis for Socialist Realist painters
after the communist revolution of 1949.

Lin Fengmian, "Resting Together" Xu Beihong, "Double Happiness"

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