Chinese Traditional Ink Painting Learning Series - Moju Chapter 4

Author: Wang Yaoting
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: Chinese painters have long ago referred to the four plants—plum blossoms, orchids, bamboos, and chrysanthemums—as the "Four Gentlemen," symbolizing noble virtues. For example, spring orchids, summer bamboos, autumn chrysanthemums, and winter plum blossoms can depict the changes of the four seasons, the emotions of literati painters in the "Four Gentlemen," and serve as a means of communication among friends and scholars. Chrysanthemums, which bloom in late autumn just before the harsh cold arrives, are admired for their unique fragrance and are symbols of longevity and high moral integrity. In ink chrysanthemums, the painter's noble and simple spirit is condensed. Based on learning painting techniques, especially for beginners of ink painting, it is generally considered the best to start with the "Four Gentlemen." Learning from bamboo helps with the arrangement and combination of straight lines, while learning from orchids helps with the formation of curves. Learning to paint plum blossoms can be connected to the painting of other branches and trunks, and learning to paint chrysanthemums and leaves can enable the painting of various flowers. Through painting the "Four Gentlemen," we can experience and master the use and manipulation of the brush, which means that while mastering the basics of brushwork, we also gain an in-depth understanding of the essence of Chinese painting, which is ink and its variations in density and lightness.