Cultural Connections | Chinese Brush Painting
Have you ever looked at a painting and suddenly felt as though it transported you to another place? Well, that’s what Chinese brush paintings do. This art form is viewd as an extension of calligraphy. As a general rule, the places in these paintings of rolling landscapes or other places are not real. They are imaginary. They’re not sketched bit by bit from what the eye can see, but they tap into the imagination for inspiration.
Unlike a lot of Western art, these decorative paintings aren’t framed. Instead, they are mounted to a scroll and hung along the walls for display. Also, unlike in Western art, the goal of a brush painter is to visually capture the inner existence of the painting’s subject as opposed to an attempting a realistic portrayal.
This art form may seem fairly free-flowing, but there is a technique that Chinese
artists follow.
Let’s take a look at brush-painting techniques:
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2. Hold the brush handle loosely along the middle.
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Place the inside of your index finger on the handle to support the brush’s motion.
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The index finger and middle finger will lie on the outside of the brush, with your thumb supporting from the inside.
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The ring and pinkie fingers will be relaxed in this position.
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None of your fingers should be tight enough to touch the inside of your palm.
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Many say your grip should be loose enough to hold a tomato between the brush and your palm without bruising the tomato.
