''Gongbi'' () is a careful realist technique in

Chinese painting Chinese painting () is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. Painting in the traditional style is known today in Chinese as ''guó huà'' (), meaning "national painting" or "native painting", as opposed to Western style ...

, the opposite of the interpretive and freely expressive '' xieyi'' (寫意 'sketching thoughts') style. The name is from the Chinese ''gong jin'' meaning 'tidy' (meticulous brush craftsmanship). The ''gongbi'' technique uses highly detailed brushstrokes that delimits details very precisely and without independent or expressive variation. It is often highly colored and usually depicts figural or narrative subjects. The term related to ''gongbi'', ''jiehua'' (or "boundary painting"), refers to the accurate depiction of architectural forms aided by the ruler.

History

The ''gongbi'' style had its beginnings approximately 2000 years ago during the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

(206 BC – 220 AD) when Han's political stability and its prosperity favored the advancement of the arts. These paintings peaked out between the Tang and

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

dynasties (7th to 13th centuries) when these refined paintings were endorsed and collected by the royal families of China. To perfect this style the ''gongbi'' artists must totally commit themselves to these techniques. Only the wealthy could afford such artists. This style of art was accomplished in secret in royal palaces and private homes. Gongbi is one of the oldest Chinese painting techniques that feature narratives or high authority figures in them.

Tools

When using brushes to paint gongbi, there are specific types for contouring and colouring. There are four types of brushes for

contouring Contouring is a makeup technique that uses cosmetics to define, enhance and sculpt the structure of the face or other body parts, such as breasts. Contouring is usually produced by placing a warm or cool toned color that is one or two shades da ...

; Hong Mao (red hairs), are used to draw thick strokes mainly for landscape and background visuals. Yi Wen is used for longer lines to paint clothing, for example. Ye Jing brushes are used to contour flowers and bedsheets. Xie Zhua is the finest contour brush used to paint strokes of dragonflies and specific detail in the painting. There are three sizes of brushes used to colour the surface of the painting: Da Bai Yun (large white cloud), Zhong Bai Yun (average white cloud) and Xiao Bai Yun (small white cloud). Rough drafts are usually drawn on

rice paper "Rice paper" has many varieties such as rice paper made from tree bark to make drawing and writing paper or from rice flour and tapioca flour and then mixed with salt and water to produce a thin rice cake and dried to become harder and paper-like ...

. If there is only one draft, a special type of paper called

Xuan paper Xuan paper (''xuanzhi'' ), or Shuen paper or rice paper, is a kind of paper originating in ancient China used for writing and painting. Xuan paper is renowned for being soft and fine textured, suitable for conveying the artistic expression of ...

is used. There are two different kinds of Xuan paper. One is called Shu Xuan paper (cooked rice paper). it is usually used for Gongbi. Another kind is Sheng Xuan paper (raw rice paper). It is usually used for Xieyi ( 'sketch-thought style painting'). The soft paper is able to absorb water well, best used for

and calligraphy. Silk can also be used, which is sized as well.

Process of the craft

''Gongbi'' requires drawing with fine lines first to represent the exaggerated likenesses of the objects, and then adds washes of ink and color layer by layer, so as to approach the perfection of exquisiteness and fine art. The practice of Gongbi is specifically on rice paper when sketching out the design and layout of the drawing. Typically, pencil is used before beginning the second draft with the tipped brushes. The variation and detail in strokes are important especially when layering each wash of ink on top of each other. There are upward and downward strokes used that emphasize detailed pictures such as facial features and insects. After hundreds of years, a technique was developed for all gongbi artists as a system. Lines are used first to contour the figure and determine the fine outlines of the painting. Modest colors are added to the painting that add onto a sense of nature; flamboyant colors are used when the content of the painting has accentuated lines. retrieved on 2014-04-3

''Gongbi'' painters

Listed chronologically: *

Yan Liben Yan may refer to: Chinese states * Yan (state) (11th century – 222 BC), a major state in northern China during the Zhou dynasty * Yan (Han dynasty kingdom), first appearing in 206 BC * Yan (Three Kingdoms kingdom), officially claimed indep ...

(c. 600–673) * Zhang Xuan (713–755) * Zhou Fang (c. 730–800) * Gu Hongzhong (937–975) * Emperor Huizong of Song (1082–1135) * Tang Yin (1470–1524) *

Qiu Ying Qiu Ying (; 1494 – 1552)Cihai page 211. was a Chinese painter of the Ming dynasty who specialised in the ''gongbi'' brush technique. Early life Qiu Ying's courtesy name was Shifu (), and his art name was Shizhou (). He was born to a peasan ...

(1494–1552) *

Chen Hongshou Chen Hongshou (1598–1652), formerly romanized as Ch'en Hung-shou, was a Chinese painter of the late Ming dynasty. Life Chen was born in Zhuji, Zhejiang province in 1598, during the Ming dynasty. His courtesy name was Zhanghou (章侯), and hi ...

(1598–1652)

References

{{Reflist Chinese painting Painting techniques

History

Tools

Process of the craft

''Gongbi'' painters

See also

References