Traditional Chinese Painting Color Method

Author: Zhou Jin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-11-01
Features: Ancient Chinese painting was once known as "Danying" (literally "red and green painting"). Faced with the vastness of the universe and the richness of colors, ancient painters had long experience in using colors. The concepts of "assigning colors according to type" and "depicting colors with colors" both imply subjective generalization and refinement in color use. The use of color emphasized purity and avoided mixture, advocating starting from the original hue to reflect the simplicity and beauty of color. As Mr. Pan Tianshou once said, "Brushwork is the bone, ink is the flesh, and color is the adornment." Brushwork and ink have long been common topics of discussion, especially regarding the principle of "ink as the superior," where the use of black ink in ancient Chinese painting has reached a realm of artistic perfection. Meanwhile, the tradition of heavy, blue-and-green-colored paintings has been overshadowed by the monochrome and light-colored literati painting since the Song Dynasty, becoming a non-mainstream style. Whether it is ink, light colors, or heavy colors, it all relates to the understanding, selection, and application of color. Using the past for the present, incorporating foreign techniques for Chinese purposes, and innovating after inheriting tradition are the fundamental principles.
Author Bio: Zhou Jin was born in Leqing, Zhejiang in 1970. He graduated from the Zhejiang Fine Arts High School in 1989, the Chinese Painting Department of the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts in 1993, and the Graduate Program of the Chinese Painting Department at the China Academy of Fine Arts in 1997, where he studied under Professor Liu Guohui and obtained a master's degree. He was retained as a faculty member after graduation. In 2003, he was admitted to the doctoral program in Chinese Painting Creation and Theory at the China Academy of Fine Arts, studying under Professor Liu Jian. Currently, he is a professor at the Chinese Painting Department of the China Academy of Fine Arts and a member of the Chinese Artists Association. His works include "March," which won the second prize at the 1993 Zhejiang Chinese Painting Exhibition; "Ice Heart and Jade Bone—Mei Lanfang," which won the bronze medal at the "Justice and Peace" International Art Exhibition; "Brilliant as Stars—Ice Heart," which received the excellence award and silver prize in the Zhejiang section of the 9th National Art Exhibition; and "Sunlight · II," which won the bronze medal at the 30th Bunkyo Modern Art Salon Exhibition. His works have been exhibited in the First National Chinese Painting Exhibition, the "Environment and Aesthetics" Asian Contemporary Art Exhibition, the National Contemporary Sketch Art Exhibition, the National Chinese Painting Figure Painting Exhibition, the National Art Exhibition in Commemoration of Confucius, the "Red Boat Ode" National Chinese Painting Masters Exhibition, and the Zhejiang Middle-aged and Young Chinese Ink Painting Artists Nominated Exhibition. His works have been compiled into "Contemporary Chinese Painting Masterpieces · Figure Volume." He has published books such as "Introduction to Gongbi Figure Painting," "Model Works for Fine Arts College Entrance Examinations—Chinese Painting Figure Painting" (with VCD demonstration), "Contemporary Masters' Gongbi Figure Painting · Zhou Jin," "Techniques of Modern Chinese Figure Line Drawing," "Starting with Chinese Painting Figure Painting," and "Traditional Chinese Painting Color Painting Methods."