''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 , meaning "national painting" or "native painting", as opposed to Western styles of art which b ...

, 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 ''Jiehua'' (Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 界画; Traditional Chinese characters, traditional Chinese: 界畫) painting, sometimes translated as “border painting,” “boundary painting,” or “ruled-line painting,” is ...

'' (Traditional: , Simplified: ) meaning "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 Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

(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 performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

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; Hong Mao (red hairs), are used to draw thick strokes mainly for

landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes th ...

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 is a product constructed of paper-like materials made from different plants. These include: *''Thin peeled dried pith of Tetrapanax papyrifer'': A sheet-like "paper" material was used extensively in late 19th century Guangdong, China ...

. If there is only one draft, a special type of paper called Xuan paper 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 Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

. 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 (c. 600–673) *

Zhang Xuan Zhang Xuan () (713–755) was a Chinese painter who lived during the Tang dynasty (618–907). Zhang Xuan painted many pieces of art, one of his best-known paintings is ''Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk'', of which a single copy survive ...

(713–755) * Zhou Fang (c. 730–800) * Gu Hongzhong (937–975) *

Emperor Huizong of Song Emperor Huizong of Song (7 June 1082 – 4 June 1135), personal name Zhao Ji, was the eighth emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the penultimate emperor of the Northern Song dynasty. He was also a very well-known painter, poet and calli ...

(1082–1135) *

Tang Yin Tang Yin (; 6 March 1470 – 7 January 1524), courtesy name Bohu () and Ziwei (子畏), was a Chinese painter, calligrapher, and poet of the Ming dynasty period. Even though he was born during the Ming dynasty, many of his paintings, especially t ...

(1470–1524) * Qiu Ying (1494–1552) * Chen Hongshou (1598–1652)

References

{{Reflist Chinese painting Painting techniques

History

Tools

Process of the craft

''Gongbi'' painters

See also

References