Learn the Four Kings

Author: Zhang Jiping, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The composition rules of Chinese painting are completely different from those of Western painting. Western painting starts by determining the position, from the big to the small, from the whole to the part, layer by layer. In contrast, Chinese landscape painting starts from the point to the picture, from the part to the whole, requiring every stroke to be exquisite, and then refining the overall composition. This does not mean that Chinese painting does not require a large-scale compositional plan. A large composition should highlight which themes, have several major sections, or pursue a certain artistic conception that the author seeks in their heart, but they should not have a complete understanding. The specific handling of local details or the form of the composition is often difficult to determine, often evolving spontaneously with unexpected charm. It is like writing classical poetry: a good seven-character poem may seem ordinary with the first five characters, but the last two characters can suddenly open up the artistic conception. The works of the Four Wangs in traditional Chinese landscape painting embody this compositional rule. When reading the step-by-step illustrations of each painting, you can carefully study the relationship between each step and the next, and try to compose variations that develop from the original painting, exploring different possibilities.