An Elementary Study On Color In Chinese Traditional Painting

It has been long customary that many people seems to take it for granted that the term "wash paint" is equal to term "Chinese traditional paint" . In my opinion, this unilateral idea is one of the important obstacles in the development of Chinese traditional paint. Based on the aspect of the development of the color expression in Chinese traditional paint, this paper studied and systematically analyzed the evolution of Chinese traditional paint, and then came to a conclusion that both color and ink are common factors employed in expression of Chinese traditional paint. If wash paint has lyrical art expression function, then we can say that color concept, which is also rooted in traditional Chinese culture, has the same implication. In the early years, color concept plays an important role until Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty, when Zen and Taoism come in, wash paint got mature, but it resulted in the belittle of color expression. Color expression function lost it' s ground in Chinese paint are due to the limits of history which exactly provided a broad space for the modern development of the Chinese traditional paint. Just as we developed ink wash skills in Chinese traditional paint, we should make the full use of the potential of color expression and construct a kind of modern concept of paint development, create the theory system for color expression, and then establish the development direction which is representative of the advanced culture.