OF ARTS
CHINESE PAINTING
Hello, my Australian friends. How much do you know about Chinese painting? This is significant Chinese art. I want to tell you more about arts of our motherland. Now, please read the following:
China is a beautiful country with 5,000 years history and culture. I am lucky enough being Chinese of our motherland. I’m a Chinese people, and I like Chinese painting very much, which is a part of arts. I would tell you why I like it very much.
Firstly, I can paint well. Of course it is the simplest reason that I love Chinese painting. Why do we call it in this way? You could know that the Chinese painting come from our country pioneering. In the earlier days, the lovers of Chinese painting put their hearts to painting everyday. Among them, XU BAIHONG is the most famous painter at that time. He loves horses very much. Whatever painting it was in him to do is to paint horses. Day after day, bit by bit, he can paint horses perfectly by using different colors and structures. It seems that every horse in his works is alive. In the pioneering days of China, ZHENG BANQIAO was another famous painter of QING Dynasty who can paint bamboo lively. They love our motherland that can give them more chances to express their feelings, however, they painted different things to saying high praise of our motherland. The art of Chinese painting developed soon, without putting sand in the wheels of society. This is the development of Chinese painting.
Hi, everyone, you can know the art of Chinese painting from my article. Do you love the art—Chinese painting? Would you like to introduce the arts of your country? I appreciate the “yes” answer.
Yours,
KENNY
16 May, 1999
 

Folk Paper-cuts
By Jackie

Folk paper-cuts. They were often used as patterns for embroidery, serve as window decorations when Spring Festival come, the windows of the grey houses on the Guanzhong Plain, and of course on the Northern Shaanxi Plateau, are decorated with paper cut, all when people get married. The Chinese character “shuang xi” means double happiness, also would be cut and stuck on the window. With bright red paper-cuts of all kinds on snow white window paper. The atmosphere appears a lot more festive , and the paper-cuts contain people’s good wishes.

The subjects of paper-cuts vary greatly, human figures, birds and animals flowers and plants, fish and insects, etc. Shaanxi paper-cuts are considered to be brief and exaggerated works of art. The women of the countryside are good at paper-cuts. They can cut whatever you want.

Shaanxi paper-cuts have a long history. Originating in the cradle of ancient Chinese culture, they have been handed down from generation to generation among people. They seem to tell us the ancient stories of Chinese nation.


Peasant Paintings
By Jackie

The farmers in Huxian County of Shaanxi Province are good at painting. There are over 2000 amateur artists in the county. Their ages range from 10-60. With country life as subject, they paint with a distinctive style, by means of blackboard, newspaper, paper-cuts, and wood-cuts. They show the great changes that have taken place during different stages of development throughout the countryside.

The meanings of these pictures is very easy to be understood. The pictures  just describe farmers daily life. Such as a picture named “harvest”. You can see people doing harvest on the land. They work very hard, and sweat a lot, but they are very happy. It’s a bumpy year. They are rewarded by the whole year’s hard work. Another picture named “mice marry its daughter”. The bride sit on the marriage carriage happy. A lot of mice are playing music walking after her. They also play firecraks anyway it looks like very good wedding. You know whom the “bride” is going to marry? The CAT. Maybe you would say “is she crazy?” of course not. It is just kind of custom to express the farmers happiness. They hope cat can eat more and more mouse next year and pray the next good harvest year.

You see, this kind of pictures don’t have the abstract meaning. You don’t need to think too much what it means. Just enjoy the life of countryside painted by the farmers.
 
 

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