165: 112 Advanced Chinese Calligraphy. Chinese painters/ Calligraphers

Chinese Painters/Calligraphers: Legendary Figures in The History of Chinese Art
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Chinese Painters/Calligraphers: Legendary Figures in The History of Chinese Art
Introduction
Chinese art is one of the oldest in the world. The earliest Chinese art was composed of sculptures and ceramic. The art traditions were well-maintained by noblemen and specialists. The artwork was modified across the various Chinese dynasties such as the Yuan and Qing dynasties. Late Imperial China and during the period of Communists marked transformations leading up to contemporary Chinese art. Some of the originally prized Chinese artifacts included casts made of bronze and Jade carvings. The remains of the first Chinese art traditions were found between 481 and 221 B.C.E. Paintings were done materials such as stone and silk (New World Encyclopedia, 2018). Later, the invention of the paper industry during the first-century B.C.E substituted the use of silk materials in most paintings. As forms of art, painting and calligraphy were common during the rule of these ancient dynasties, particularly within court circles.  Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism were significant influences in the development of Chinese art. Soon after the reign of the last Chinese dynasty, movements occurred to modernize the art. Western art largely influenced this modern Chinese art, with Shanghai being the birthplace of this new Chinese art.
New art forms emerged split into three categories that are Chinese cinema, popular music, and animation. During the communist era of the 1950s to 1980s, art was used as a platform to promote various ideologies by the government. However, the art movements suffered during the reign of Mao Zedong, who persecuted key artists, eroded traditional art. After Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution limitations were removed and the Chinese artists began to explore new themes and subjects. This led to the rise of Chinese avant-garde art, which refers to contemporary art. Chinese artists have faced government restrictions over the years, which has hampered artistic freedom. However, beginning from the 1980s, increased tolerance for various forms of art within the Chinese market has been witnessed (New World Encyclopedia, 2018). This illustrious history of Chinese art has produced many famous figures. From the third century until the modern era, Chinese artists have produced masterpiece artworks. Some of them include Gu Kaizhi, Wu Daozi, Ni Zan, Zhao Wuji, Wang Xi-Zhi, Zhu Da, Zhao Mengfu, Zhan Ziqian, Shen Zhoe, and Wu Guanzhong. This paper will examine six legendary Chinese artists and their contributions to history.
Zhan Ziqian
This famous painter was renowned during the Sui dynasty era between 581 and 618 B.C.E. He was a renowned landscape painter. His works contained Hunting, Beijixunhaitu, and the Imperial Garden. Zhan Ziqian's most notable work is the “Spring Excursion.” It is considered a prized asset in the evolution of Chinese landscape paintings. The “Spring Excursion” pictures nobles are playing in a mountainous area. He works out the art using detailed color fillings and brush strokes. The full rivers highlight water as the central theme in the painting. Together with the surrounding mountains and trees, this work showed a magnificent presentation of an adventure in the spring valleys. Chinese and western art differ in the perception of space and distance. While western paintings take a more geometric or scientific dimension, Chinese art depends on perception to depict landscape paintings. This unique understanding of the concepts of space and distance using judgment made Zhan Ziqian work outstanding in describing natural phenomena such as mountains, rivers, and clouds. “Spring Excursion” is considered the oldest available Chinese landscape painting. Although his paintings covered various genres, Ziqian is notable for painting people, horses, and pavilions (China Culture, 2020). Ziqian is considered revolutionary in the development of Chinese landscape painting. 
Wang Xi-Zhi
In Chinese history, Zi-Zhi is known as one of the chief calligraphic masters. He was renowned during the dynasty of Eastern Jin. Wang came from a family with a calligraphy heritage. His father exposed him to calligraphy while he was seven years old. Also, Wang's aunt, Wei Shuo, was a famous calligrapher known for composing Kaishu's rules, which was a popular Chinese calligraphy style. His calligraphic skill was inspired by geese as he loved raising these birds. By observing the neck shifts of geese, he developed excellent wrist movements which aided his writing. Notably, none of his over 10...