Flower-and-Bird Painting already appeared in the remote past of China. Patterns of flowers and birds on pottery, bronze vessels and phoenix paintings on silk during the Warring States Period (7th-4th centuries B.C), were the early indications of the Chinese’s people interest in such themes. These ancient patterns and images were rather simple and plain but they slowly developed into a mature and important genre of art with a variety of highly developed techniques, schools and a well established theoretical background.
Flower-and-Bird Painting did not become an independent art form until the mid and late Tang dynasty around the 8th and 9th centuries, it is interesting to see how this form of art slowly “creeps” from the background of initially serving as ornamental pattern for daily utensils, later serving as symbolic, metaphoric and allegorical elements in the background of figure painting and all the way to the final stage where we see flowers and birds as independent themes. In pre-Tang and Tang Dynasty figure paintings we see birds and flowers symbolizing the mood and temperament of the human figures depicted, the characters seldom directly look at each other, instead there is a relationship with a flower they hold, a tree they sit beside or with the birds that fly around them. At this stage of development, flowers and birds serve as symbols, this is a further development from the ornamental function they had on bronze wear and pottery. This symbolic function was certainly an important stepping stone on the way to become an independent art form during the mid and late Tang, and indeed, Flower-and-Bird Paintings preserved their symbolic role and must be observed and enjoyed in this context.
Interested in ancient Chinese arts? Discover the legacy of ancient Chinese art and the different factors that influenced it throughout the years.
The Chinese civilization dates back to more than four thousand years ago. Over the years the Chinese have managed to develop a collection of extremely diverse art work. Archeologists have been able to find art work from the region that predates the era when history started to be written.
The country of China has been ruled by many different dynasties throughout the course of time. The T’ang Dynasty, the Qin Dynasty, the Han Dynasty and the Zhou Dynasty all made their own contributions to ancient Chinese art. Each dynasty had its own distinct style which kept on evolving with the passage of time.
Chinese landscape paintings include trees, misty mountains, clouds, and a rugged and craggy landscape, occasionally with people. Landscapes, birds and flowers, and human portraits are three of the central themes of these paintings, although humans figure less prominently than the others.
Flower-and-Bird Painting already appeared in the remote past of China. Patterns of flowers and birds on pottery, bronze vessels and phoenix paintings on silk during the Warring States Period (7th-4th centuries B.C), were the early indications of the Chinese’s people interest in such themes. These ancient patterns and images were rather simple and plain but they slowly developed into a mature and important genre of art with a variety of highly developed techniques, schools and a well established theoretical background.
Flower-and-Bird Painting did not become an independent art form until the mid and late Tang dynasty around the 8th and 9th centuries, it is interesting to see how this form of art slowly “creeps” from the background of initially serving as ornamental pattern for daily utensils, later serving as symbolic, metaphoric and allegorical elements in the background of figure painting and all the way to the final stage where we see flowers and birds as independent themes. In pre-Tang and Tang Dynasty figure paintings we see birds and flowers symbolizing the mood and temperament of the human figures depicted, the characters seldom directly look at each other, instead there is a relationship with a flower they hold, a tree they sit beside or with the birds that fly around them. At this stage of development, flowers and birds serve as symbols, this is a further development from the ornamental function they had on bronze wear and pottery. This symbolic function was certainly an important stepping stone on the way to become an independent art form during the mid and late Tang, and indeed, Flower-and-Bird Paintings preserved their symbolic role and must be observed and enjoyed in this context.
Interested in ancient Chinese arts? Discover the legacy of ancient Chinese art and the different factors that influenced it throughout the years.
The Chinese civilization dates back to more than four thousand years ago. Over the years the Chinese have managed to develop a collection of extremely diverse art work. Archeologists have been able to find art work from the region that predates the era when history started to be written.
The country of China has been ruled by many different dynasties throughout the course of time. The T’ang Dynasty, the Qin Dynasty, the Han Dynasty and the Zhou Dynasty all made their own contributions to ancient Chinese art. Each dynasty had its own distinct style which kept on evolving with the passage of time.
Chinese landscape paintings include trees, misty mountains, clouds, and a rugged and craggy landscape, occasionally with people. Landscapes, birds and flowers, and human portraits are three of the central themes of these paintings, although humans figure less prominently than the others.
The theme of birds is very prevalent throughout Chinese history.