Introduction To Cui Bai Flower And-bird Painting Art

The flower-and-bird painting is one of the performance categories in Chinese paintings that most rich in the national cultural characteristics, its development had experienced a long process. From being as decorative patterns of painted potteries and bronze wares to backgrounds of figure paintings or ornaments in landscape paintings, the flower-and-bird painting has been placed in a very awkward position, which was not until the tang dynasty that the flower-and-bird paintings became an independent major. It experienced the five dynasties with the coexistence of two kinds of aesthetic tendencies which represented by "Huang’s opulence with Xu Xi’s natural leisure", and then developed to the prime during the two Song dynasty periods. In the initial stage of the northern Song dynasty, Huang and his son’s exquisite brush serious wound got the emperor’s affection and vigorously praising with their styles of opulence and luxury, thus the established flower-and-bird painting style of "Huang’s opulence" affected the Song dynasty for more than hundred years. In the era of "Huang’s opulence " flowers-and-birds painting,people had produced aesthetic fatigue for the painting styles of delicacy and refinement, opulence and richandgaudy, the aesthetic feelings of plain naive, lively and clever outside the art academy made the artistsrethink the development direction of Chinese flower-and-bird painting in order to laid the foundation of innovations for flower and-bird painting.In the period of Xining, the new artists in northern Song dynasty which represented by Cui Bai boldly initiate reforming aiming at Huang’s flower-and-bird painting. As the main force of renovationists, Cui Bai paid attention to the applying of color, expression of the ink and the creation of artistic conceptions in his flower-and-bird painting, he laid emphasis on the sketch and strived to innovate, he broke the domination situation of Huang’s flower-and-bird painting in art academy which pursued delicacy and luxury by flower-and-bird painting style of quietly elegant and natural simplicity. He began to express his feelings and interpret his firm belief for lifelong dedication and pursuit of calm,natural using his own unique art language. He favours the vivid temperament and interest of flowers and birds naturally presenting in nature, he made the emotion materialized and endowed the birds and flowers life with vitality. The innovation of flower-and-bird painting art from Cui Bai not only brought the sketch spirit into the art academies, but also thoroughly presented the emotional expression, the layout of picture,techniques of painting and the constructing of special artistic conceptions, he promoted the prosperity and development of the flower-and-bird paintings in northern Song dynasty.