Chinese characters evolved from pictures and signs, and the
Chinese art of calligraphy developed naturally from its unique
writing system. Every dynasty had its great calligraphers, whose
calligraphic styles became symbolic of their times, and the Chinese
people's love of calligraphy has been handed down to the present
day.?
Different from Western painting, traditional Chinese painting is
characterized by unique forms of expression. Its roots can be
traced back to paintings on Neolithic pottery some 6,000 years ago.
Since similar tools and lines were used for the earliest painting
and writing, painting is said to have the same origin as
calligraphy. Chinese paintings also include poetry or calligraphy,
thus the three are integrated, giving people a richer aesthetic
enjoyment. Figure, landscape, and flower-and-bird paintings are
important traditional Chinese painting genres, still highly valued
today.
Contemporary Chinese painting and calligraphy are still very
active. The China Art Gallery and other art galleries hold
individual or joint art exhibitions year in year out and
exhibitions of traditional Chinese paintings have been held in
Japan, the Republic of Korea, the US, Canada, and Europe. Chinese
artists have also made remarkable progress in Western-style oil
painting, woodcut and watercolor and many have created works that
combine traditional Chinese with Western painting techniques,
adding splendor to both forms. Modern art utilizing modern
materials, formats, framework and techniques also occupies a place
in the art world. New media art works, including video, digital,
animated and audio art, are frequently represented in domestic and
overseas exhibitions of modern art.
With the development of the artworks auction industry, China's
galleries have gradually caught up with international practice in
recent years. Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou take turns to host an
annual art exposition, adding a new channel for the trade of
artworks; of these the Shanghai Art Exposition boasts the greatest
variety of artworks of any in Asia.
