An enthusiastic fan once confided in me that he walked into some modern art exhibitions and found it difficult to distinguish between Chinese paintings and watercolor paintings.
This may be a bit of a joke, but it reflects the similarity between the current creation of Chinese painting and watercolor painting on a deeper level.
This phenomenon undoubtedly reveals a certain regression in modern Chinese painting.
As a form of artistic expression, it is inevitable that there are more or less commonalities between the various types of painting. As important branches of painting art, Chinese painting and watercolor painting also have many similarities between them. First of all, from the perspective of painting skills, both Chinese painting and watercolor painting are inseparable from the use of water and color.
In Chinese painting, the painter controls the harmony ratio of water and ink to create different shades and shades of ink, expressing the sense of layering and space in the picture.
In watercolor painting, the painter also needs to master the harmony ratio of water and pigment, and use the blend of water and color to present a transparent and moist picture effect.
Therefore, from this point of view, the painting techniques of Chinese painting and watercolor painting are the same.
Secondly, Chinese painting and watercolor painting also have similarities in composition and color.
In Chinese painting, composition is a very important part, and the painter needs to make the picture present a harmonious and balanced effect through reasonable compositional arrangement.
In watercolor, composition is also a key element, and the painter needs to create a fresh, bright or rich, warm visual effect through clever composition and color matching.
Whether it is a Chinese painting or a watercolor painting, it is necessary to attract the audience's attention through the use of composition and color.
In general, although Chinese painting and watercolor painting are different forms of painting art, although they have their own unique characteristics and styles, there are many commonalities in painting techniques, composition and color.
These commonalities are also essential elements for all paintings.
Although there are similarities between Chinese painting and watercolor painting in some aspects, the differences between them are very significant.
First of all, from the perspective of composition, watercolor paintings usually present a relatively full picture, while Chinese paintings pay more attention to blank space, leaving the viewer with an attitude of cherishing ink like gold to leave unlimited imagination space. This difference makes Chinese painting have a stronger visual impact and artistic sense.
Secondly, in terms of the use of color, watercolor painting usually pays more attention to the dazzling and bright color, while Chinese painting is based on ink, paying attention to elegance and simplicity. Even in the use of color, Chinese painting also prefers gray and calm tones to express its unique artistic style. This difference in the use of color makes Chinese painting have a more restrained and subtle beauty.
Thirdly, watercolor painting focuses on composing the picture with colorful color blocks, each of which is intertwined to form a moving picture. Chinese painting, on the other hand, is composed mainly by lines, and through the priority of brushstrokes, the thickness and shade of the brushstrokes, the mountains and rivers, people, flowers and birds are outlined. In addition, watercolor paintings usually pay more attention to the expression of light and shadow and light and shade, and create a sense of three-dimensionality and layering through the change of light and shadow. Chinese painting, on the other hand, does not emphasize the expression of light and shadow and light and shade, but achieves a rich sense of layering and light and shade through the natural blending of colors. This kind of expression makes the picture of Chinese painting more natural and smooth, giving people a more comfortable visual enjoyment.
Ancient Chinese paintings actually possess superb realism in terms of technique, and can depict things vividly. However, most painters tend to opt for a more individualized freehand approach.
The reason behind this is that Chinese painting is essentially a form of expression of literati painting, and its main function is not to simply reproduce nature, but to express the inner emotions of the author, arouse the resonance of readers, and become a medium for literati to communicate ideas and express their aspirations.
It is precisely because Chinese painting focuses on spiritual connotation that painters pay more attention to the creation of artistic conception and charm. These elements are spiritual manifestations that need to be condensed and condensed, not chaotic.
Therefore, Chinese painting often pursues a concise and elegant style, just like the noble style of the ancient literati.
The ancient literati had already pushed the art of Chinese painting to an unattainable height, while contemporary painters, in order to pursue visual effects and attract people's attention, excessively showed off their skills and developed Chinese painting in the direction of watercolor painting, making the picture colorful and three-dimensional.
Although this practice has achieved an eye-catching effect visually, it has lost the spiritual connotation of Chinese painting.
Therefore, the effect of watercolor painting in contemporary Chinese painting is not actually progress, but deviates from the essential pursuit of Chinese painting.
To sum up, for Chinese painting, the pursuit of the spiritual level is where its core value lies, and painting Chinese painting as a watercolor painting is obviously to take care of one or the other, and lose the essence of Chinese painting.