CHINESE PAINTING The origins of traditional Chinese painting reach far back into China's distant history. Generally speaking, works dating from before the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) are mainly line drawings of people engaged in various activities; this was the 'golden age' of human figure drawing. By the mid-Tang dynasty, landscape and flower-and-bird paintings began their rise in prominence. Paintings of mountains, forests, fields and gardens have the ability to transport one away from the vexations of the material world into a peaceful, carefree realm. Because of this, landscape paintings have always s been highly regarded by China's literati and officialdom. The flowers, grass, trees, stones, and birds and other animals depicted in the lively and energetic flower-and-bird paintings are also widely admired. Thus the landscape, flower-and-bird paintings, together with the earlier human figure painting, comprise the three main categories of traditional Chinese painting.

Literati typically prefer to paint according to their own fancy and without restriction, and advocate a fresh, free, understated and elegant style. Subject matter they are fond of includes mountains and rocks, clouds and water, flowers and trees, the “four gentlemen” (plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums), and so on. Because natural objects such as these are less demanding subjects to paint than the human figure, the painter can better exploit the brush and ink's potential for free expression.

The fundamental component of Chinese painting is the line, as it is in Chinese calligraphy. Because of this shared feature, these two arts have had, beginning from a very early time, a close mutual relationship. By the time that literati painting had become popular in the Yuan dynasty, men of letters who painted put even more conscious effort into reaffirming the link to Chinese calligraphy, and actively led a trend to fuse calligraphy and painting. And the close relationship between poetry and painting was formed under the strong influence of literature on painting. Scholars and literati led the melding of poetry and painting, and this eventually spread to the academy of painting. The Sung Emperor Hui Tsung is known to have used poetry to test painters on the ability to express with ink and paper the enchanted world created in written verse.

Beginning in the Sung dynasty, a small number of artists began to write the names of the giver and recipient of the painting, or to stamp their 'name chop' in an inconspicuous corner of the work. When literati painting was in vogue in the Yuan dynasty, men of letters began adding personal notes on the painting, or related lines of poetry, to display their prose and calligraphic skill. This writing was now given a more prominent place on the work. At this point, there was a new union of signature, names of giver and receiver, and notes on the painting or related verse, with the painting itself. The stamping of name chops also became established at this time. The addition of the name chop impressions, in itself an art, further enriched the artistic content of Chinese painting. Artists follow the custom of stamping their works with their name chops to 'sign' them and as proof of authenticity.

The four stationery items indispensable to any traditional Chinese scholar are a brush pen, an ink stick, paper, and an ink stone. They are the main tools with which he carries out his scholarly work, and for this reason they came to be called the 'four treasure of the study'. (wen fang szu pao).

The distinctive and elegant arts of Chinese calligraphy and painting have in recent years taken a prominent place in the international art world, and are the focus of much interest and discussion. Any person involved in the traditional Chinese arts must rely heavily on the tools mentioned, for it is only through these tools that the beauty of Chinese art receives concrete expression.

Since the turn of the century, the Republic of China has experienced great political, economic, and cultural changes, and the art of painting is no exception. While traditional painting still occupies an important place in the life of modern Chinese, many painters now desire to express their experience of new times. Much is being done in the Republic of China to not only preserve traditional Chinese culture, but also continually introduce innovations and improvements. While retaining the merits and strengths of the traditional 'four treasures of the study', modern technology and materials are being applied to make these treasures even more practical and suited to the needs of the painter. The dependence of the Chinese arts and calligraphy on this set of traditional tools to express the thoughts, writing system, life experience, and feelings of the Chinese people has brought forth an eternal, unfading cultural institution.