"Painting From Observing" -An Exploration Of Traditional Painting Value Of Chinese Flower-and-bird Painting

Flower- and -bird Painting is one of the primary manifestations of traditional Chinese painting, which is also combination of nature and humanity. Traditional Flower- and -bird Painting implies humanity against the background of Chinese culture, and also reflects a collision of subjective opinion and objective matter based on primitive philosophy and art. Along with rapid development of social economy and culture, all kinds of painting materials, techniques, and theories present themselves obviously in contemporary Flower- and -bird Painting, which makes itself take on an all-round development look. Facing the magnum opus paintings of traditional masters in Flower- and -bird Painting, we should not just show heartfelt respect, but also realize to inherit the essence of this precious art, which has been over looked for a long time. Flower- and -bird Painting cannot separate from the way of painting from nature and life. Therefore, we should analyze the painting theories of ancient painters through their methods of painting, observe and feel the world in traditional painting value, as well as accept insular spirit of traditional Flower- and -bird Painting, in order to rejuvenate traditional Chinese painting. Flower- and -bird Painting emerged together with the way of painting from nature and life, which means expressing painters’ inner world through lively drawings. Flower- and -bird Painting lies in the world as a unique subject matter. Chinese Flower- and -bird Painting cannot take away from the way of painting from nature and life, and it’s core to Chinese painting. Specifically, it’s a process of nature turning into art. A meaningful masterpiece always originates from the true observation and feeling of an artist towards nature. Language and description are just the reflection of painters’ feeling. In Flower- and -bird Painting, especially in the way of painting from nature and life, people are accustomed to observing the matter with our two naked eyes, while often ignoring the third eye, namely our own feeling. When we see things physically, we should not just care for what we see, but also what we think of, and how we feel. With the perish of Chinese feudal society and west culture breaking into China, Chinese culture in modern and contemporary times firmly marched ahead with pain. Against this background of meeting and colliding with west culture time and time again, modern Chinese painting gradually absorbed and assimilated west culture, and united west modernism and concepts of Chinese painting, and further decided what to assimilate and what to dispose based on the traditional value of painting from nature and life and absorbed and developed the way of using color in west culture with the core of traditional Chinese ink and wash painting. Under these social situations, Chinese Flower- and -bird Painting also accepted some aspects of west culture. In this period, influenced by the painting concepts, such as shaking off dependence on the past, and art for art, and with more and more new media and material used in painting, Chinese Flower- and -bird Painting was broadened in range, improved in technology, and refined in production. While in this way, Chinese Flower- and -bird Painting went in for west painting concepts, and lost the essence of traditional Chinese painting value which emphasized meaning, emotion and spirit. However fortunately, there were also Chinese painters focused on Chinese tradition and enriched Chinese culture through assimilating some outstanding west culture, such as Lin Fengmian and Liu Haisu. In inheriting the way of traditional Chinese Flower- and -bird Painting, Qi Baishi and Pan Tianshou made great achievements. In traditional claborate-style painting, Fei’an and Chen Zhifo created their own characteristics. At this age, in which Chinese culture met and conflicted with the west one, Chinese painters, who insisted on tradition or absorbed west culture, all actively began to go outside, explore the nature, and find the meaning of life, thus injecting new life and vigor into Chinese Flower- and-bird Painting. Through a deep inquiry on the painting value of Chinese ancient, modern, and contemporary painters, we hope to treat traditional Chinese painting in a more comprehensive, profound, and objective way, and better keep the independence of our national Flower- and -bird Painting. We should fully and reasonably learn and absorb the preeminent section of traditional Chinese painting, wishing to provide some useful help for us learning and creating con temporary Chinese Flower- and -bird Painting. As a result, we can further enrich our national painting, just like the old Chinese saying, learning from the past and looking for the future.