Art Gallery

Painting collection of our designer and artist

YAN Chinese Painting Art Gallery

Chinese traditional painting art gallery – original large free hand style by our jewelry designer – flower and bird scenes as well as canvas oil paintings.

If you are interested in purchasing art please contact us at:

Modern Art of West and East

When we look at art in the modern time, we can see that the environment of art creation has more freedom than any previous generation, art can now not only be of painting itself but be rendered in artistic installation, behavioural art etcetera etcetera……But is it now an old-fashion thing to talk about oil-painting itself?

At the current time, within the field of oil-painting, we can see it is full of different concepts with some of these works sometimes being difficult to understand, for example abstract painting.

I want modern art to be something simple, with warmth and beauty being the main ideas of my own art work. I believe oil painting should show the advantage of this type of painting itself, which is that it allows you to paint the subject realistically in shape and colour.

Oil painting itself can not only show a readable image, but also reveal the character of the artist who painted it, you draw your understanding of the subject within the painting, which means you can do it in a way that is not exactly the same as the thing itself.  

This is kind of similar to free hand traditional Chinese painting, where in modern times everyone can draw the same object in their own way, with different understandings of the world making each work unique.

I believe that modern art should possess your own unique character, but should also able to be recognized as what it is, a famous traditional Chinese painter Qi Baishi said that when you comment upon an art work ”if you draw the painting in a way that is totally different to the real subject, it is cheating. If you draw the object exactly the same as the real thing, it is a kind of fluttering”. This saying also describes my idea toward oil painting.

So what is the difference between traditional Chinese painting and Western oil painting? In terms of oil painting, you can use all range of different colors and hundreds of strokes to paint a subject, while in traditional Chinese painting you use only limited colors and strokes.

I think traditional Chinese painting should draw the meaning of the subject more while oil painting as I mentioned above should show more of it’s own advantages in describing reality in terms of both diverse colour and accurate shape.

Traditional Chinese Painting in Modern Art Times

To make things clearer, I will give you two examples to state what oil painting and traditional Chinese painting look like, they both have the same theme which is floral in nature, and you can compare directly how the two different types of painting work, which is clearly readable, conveying the artist’s character and showing advantages of the two different types of the painting.

The first painting of mine is a traditional Chinese painting of a lotus flower, you can see it is completed in traditional Chinese ink with no use of other colors, which shows how the deepness of Chinese ink reflects colour, and how different strokes influence the building of an image.

In traditional Chinese painting black ink can be adjusted in colour by differing the amounts of water added, compared with oil painting traditional Chinese work is often less colorful, as you will see in the second painting in which I use hundreds of different oil colors to express the same subject of a flower, and the use of many more strokes in the oil painting is clearly seen.

From my perspective another difference between traditional Chinese painting and oil painting is that traditional Chinese painting places greater emphasis upon the painter’s understanding of the subject, as the painting is less colorful and less strokes are used to complete the work.

Comparison to Oil Painting

Oil painting as you can see will more adhere to the real subject as it can be expressed with more colours and more strokes which is truly a great advantage of oil painting.

This can be seen from my own oil painting work, which not only accurately describes the flowers and surrounding environment, but also conveys my understanding of the world, which is a warm and positive style and attitude of life.

In conclusion no matter traditional Chinese painting or oil painting all need to be complete within the context of the artist’s understanding of the world, while at the same time carrying the respective advantage of the different painting methods in the modern art world.

You can see more of my art work in our art gallery on our webpage and see more art and fashion blog articles here.

Plum Blossom

Background

“For the coming of faint perfume I long knew this was not snow” – Wang An Shi, Song dynasty.

Of western the “three friends of winter” and Eastern “four noble characters” the virtuous plum blossom has been revered by Emperors of ancient China for it’s adherence to Confucian ideals and written of in poem and drawn in art throughout recorded Eastern history.

Family Wu clean ink stones by the fount, overhead a tree petals leaving light blots

No want of pay to praise work of fine beauty, only land and sky gently washed in fragrance all.

In unceasing giving of fragrance and beauty besides the now blackened brush cleaning fount of the artists residence, great poet of the Yuan dynasty, Wang Mian, composed verse comparing the plum blossoms selfless giving to the world with the artists need for complement and praise.

Enduring through relentless struggle, the conquered peoples of the Yuan dynasty strove to survive in a difficult time, for some such as Wang Mian aspects of the plum blossom such as opening in bloom despite the relentless cold served as a symbol to endure and as unceasing spring of virtue the artist could draw from.

Known as the “winter plum” for it’s early blooming, the plum blossom was revered by ancient aristocracy and ruling classes for it’s aspired to purity of virtue, elegant blooms of flower radiating virtuous colour transposed by the cold of winter that most flowers would hide away from.

As a deciduous tree the plum blossom loses most of it’s leaves in winter, in Chinese art the dark outlines of branch and twig further reinforcing a sense of a cooler seasonal climate and stand to make beautiful blooms of flowers that much more evident.

The plum blossom tree is a part of the much larger Prunus variety of over forty varieties of fruiting tree, broadly including old world plums with stalked bunches of less than three flowers, new world plums with clumps of over three flowers, and apricots and their very short stalked groups of flowers to which the Chinese plum flower belongs to.

Plum Blossom and Traditional Chinese Painting

One of the earlier known works including plum blossom is the record “Pantheon of Plum Blossom” by SongXueYan among other contemporary authors. Painted in the Song dynasty over seven hundred years ago this was one of the earliest encyclopedic records of plants showcasing detailed illustrations of nature.

An artist of an artistic collective of plum blossom lovers, along with other artists he made records of over a hundred illustrations of plum blossom trees and other flowering plants.

Illustrating the passionate dedication to art which was pursued by the collective included building purpose built pavilions around the trees, allowing the artists to observe and directly record the nature of the plant.

Common with traditional Chinese painting the “knowing of the way” is the first commitment to study of the natural environment that through careful and repeat observation of nature imprints the form of the subject in the heart of the artist.

This is followed by the “life drawing” where the student takes the form of the subject and through direct observation takes and typically shortly thereafter records the subject, from simple outlines of form progressing to further finer details then composition of the greater image.

Though rarely used as the composition for a finished work, the collections of these works collected by the artist from nature will form their materials used in producing larger complex pieces.

In comparison to impressionism and other art forms that paint real landscapes or forms for the finished piece, the ancient Chinese artists rarely painted directly, instead observing the nature of the plant until they could internalise the form then return home to finish painting from memory.

One of the most important reasons for this is the weight and number of tools required that made painting outside unfeasible, the use of flexible paper as a medium also confers some impracticality when compared to more rigid canvas oil painting aisles though some ancient artists did build observation and painting “studios” in the outdoors to match their dedication to the subject.

Through repeat practice and observation the student progresses to “临摹” or reference from form, where the composition of an established artists work, or in the modern age from a well composed and suitable photograph, is followed and repeated.

Though the outcome of such a painting would be deemed a copy in oil painting, due to the way in which Chinese free hand is painted – with no ability to correct deviations – students will adjust the flow of their own work to form a painting that is born from their own hand, forming a picture whose composition of elements is generally similar but also different and unique to the artist.

The final path of drawing is realisation of the plum blossom tree as a composition of strokes of painting, following the image of the form that has been internalized and projected into ones imagination then painting it out through the accumulated experience of brush strokes that produce the constituent parts.

Plum blossom painting techniques

Chinese paintings will often follow a rule of balancing opposite elements when constructed – vertical with horizontal, large with small, few with many and so on.

Though paintings forms are led by a central focus piece, this is balanced by harmonious contrasting aspects that serve to break up and complement what would otherwise be a composition overpowering and unnatural in nature.

Drawing plum blossom trees a typically large element such as a vertical branch will often by followed by an accompanying smaller branch in the same vertical frame, this pair of branches would then be followed by a pair of contrasting horizontal branches smaller in size.

The addition of flowers will have a principal flower group followed by a supporting flower group, detailed flowers fewer in number and focused on a single branch will be followed by more smaller flowers distributed over many branches.

This balance of contrasting and supporting elements continues throughout the composition finally creating a naturally balanced and recognizable look to the painting.

With spacing carefully left for bright blooms of flowers the older coarser branches of plum tree are drawn in heavier black inks and multiple reinforcing brush strokes followed by newer young branches painted with lively actioned single strokes.

Larger branches are painted elegantly curved though with stiff composition like metal, contributing greatly to the final form of the painting, smaller offshoot branches curve more and yet are smaller and segment like in their nature.

Flowers are painted from two ways – one way is a circular filled outline method which is common for larger clusters of flowers while a “follow the bone” technique of painting the petal with a single stroke then filling in detail is used by our artist and talked about in our blog here.

In the “follow bone” method a single stroke forms a petal with a wetted light goat hair brush daubed with either a single or dual colour being directly pressed to form the shape.

The curve of the petal is controlled by the angle the brush is pressed with against the paper, while care is taken to ensure the petals edges are distinct and firmer in tone than the petals centre, which should tend towards a lighter more transparent effect.

In the arts literature of our artist the cherry blossom flower is comprised of five petals, through five strokes the petals are formed around a central round gap which is then filled with the flowers stamen and pistil finally painted in using a fine black ink after the flowers petals have been drawn.

The three friends in cold weather

Together with bamboo and pine in Chinese art plum blossom is recognised as virtue against the cold, the first of all flowers and standing alone to declare to winter that spring has arrived.

Finding in it’s stand against the winter a reflection of the idealism to overcome and hold steadfast against unceasing challenges, the plum blossom has through the work of countless artists evolved into an emblem of virtue and beauty in traditional arts.

Chinese arts paper mounted on card original work

Inscription reads from larger form

Small visage of lush bamboo forest

With an inscription whose meaning expands to an image whose form is taken from the disparate selection of many chosen part, this painting is likewise the bamboo of a much greater and wider tropical bamboo forest.

The strong ink impresses rich life into the thick trunks of healthy bamboo that populate this one part of the greater forest, verdant green leaves and smaller shoots of newer growth suggest abundant light and potential for growth.

Projecting a visage of the larger natural world this painting carries both life radiated from the dense leaf and growth of the bamboo forest while light carried from the open space gives feelings of freedom, this is a very inspiring piece from an emotional perspective.

Revered across Asia for it’s utility of use and projection of values, bamboo has from ancient times been used in the construction of homes, as vessel of water and it’s young shoots eaten as food, while it’s famed growth has historical connotations of righteous and moral character.

Great traditional artists included the female artist Guan Daosheng who painted natural scenes incorporating outcrops of bamboo in careful composition with outdoor elements including rock outcrops and landscape elements.

Bamboo was well studied by past masters, dedication to painting the perfect form included gaining intimate knowledge of the entirety of lifecycle with artists residing in secluded bamboo forests in order to better their pursuit of study.

Our art blog has a number of articles compiled from assorted texts used by our artists and an assorted collection of works can be seen in our art gallery.

Painted upon a square of yellow tinted arts paper which carries a noteable fibre evident in photo this painting is mounted upon a square of heavier off white card giving a classic feeling to the work.

This work and others displayed in our art gallery are available for purchase directly from the artist through negotiated price, contact address is provided in the top most art gallery post.

Chinese arts paper mounted on card original work

Inscription reads year of Ji Hai, writing of Pan Yan

Copse of trees in winter

Suggestive of a winter scene the coolness of fall permeates this peaceful landscape image, a copse of trees stand stout and slender poised to settle into the seasons cold.

With few leaves leafed upon their outstretched branch their bare bark and trunks carry an elegance in this painting drawn in the traditional Chinese free hand way.

Seen in many paintings of the “mountain and water” style, this type of tree has long been drawn in scenes of natural beauty it’s poise bearing a cooler and tranquil vibe of feeling when compared to the warmer emotional tones of “bird and flower“.

Though this scene is but one small vista when compared to more breathtaking large paper drawings of other traditional Chinese painting landscape styles it’s more limited scope focuses more purely on a meaning carried through the simplicity of composition.

Our art blog has a number of articles compiled from assorted texts used by our artists and an assorted collection of works can be seen in our art gallery.

Painted upon a square of yellow tinted arts paper which carries a noteable fibre evident in photo this painting is mounted upon a square of heavier off white card giving a classic feeling to the work.

This work and others displayed in our art gallery are available for purchase directly from the artist through negotiated price, contact address is provided in the top most art gallery post.

Chinese arts paper original work

Inscription reads joy of Spring, written by Pan Yan

Brown sparrows upon purple wisteria

Riding the warmth of the coming of spring life returns to the natural world bringing welcome sustenance to tender green shoots of leaves and delicate fresh purple flowers that sprout and shoot forth from the beautiful wisteria.

Animals emerging into the newly fertile landscape seek sustenance to help replenish the rigours endured through winter solstices migrating from lands far away, or emerging from long slumbers beneath the cool earth.

In this traditional technique large free hand painting a pair of brown feathered sparrows perches upon a friendly branch welcoming the return of warmth and life to their land joined with in chorus by the sweet green leaves and shy purple blossom newly emerged.

Seen to be as if commentating with each other the joy of returning spring the sparrows are drawn in delicate poise with our artist capturing their tender movement in few but careful stroke of brush.

This scene of natural beauty is drawn in a vertical fashion where the traditional paper of slightly yellow tint warms the black pigment of the ink that has been used to draw the wisteria, capturing the way in which it grows twisting and curving back upon itself so naturally.

There are more articles on birds in traditional free hand painting in our arts blog and an assorted collection of works in our art gallery.

This painting is upon a long sheet of traditional arts paper of white-yellow colour which carries a yellow tint as evidenced in the photo which conveys a warm and colourful feeling.

The painting is unmounted though would be sold mounted upon a fabric canvas banner of good quality and suitable to be hung or transported safely.

This work and others displayed in our art gallery are available for purchase directly from the artist through negotiated price, contact address is provided in the top most art gallery post.

Chinese arts paper original work

Inscription reads writing of Pan Yan

Traditional Chinese painting of pink lotus flowers

The large free hand technique is one of two styles of free hand Chinese painting characterised by large brush strokes and small stroke number demonstrated in the above painting.

In this style of painting traditional pigments are carefully applied to a large fine fibre goat or rabbit hair brush then daubed onto the paper with a practised stroke that will in one delicate action produce the correct shading and shape of the form to be drawn.

Developing in parallel with the history of calligraphy Chinese free hand painting draws from a series of recognised strokes as it’s palette to produce recognisable and beautiful images.

This free hand painting by our designer has evident bright pink colours of the lotus flower lightening this small yet peaceful natural scene of verdant foliage.

Though Chinese free hand paintings tend towards use of blacker pigment inks this scene radiates a light summer’s day feeling from the long healthy stems of flowers that then open towards the light while large leaves suggest warmth and radiance.

Micro scenes of nature such as this often form the settings for the artists “bird and flower” paintings where the paintings offer us windows into dynamic scenes of natural beauty.

Note this scene has not been stamped and so cannot be considered completed as shown we would stamp with the designers seal if sold.

This painting is upon a long sheet of traditional arts paper of white colour and carries a slightly grey tint as evidenced in the photo which is common to this type of traditional paper.

The painting is unmounted though would be sold mounted upon a fabric canvas banner of good quality and suitable to be hung or transported safely.

This work and others displayed in our art gallery are available for purchase directly from the artist through negotiated price, contact address is provided in the top most art gallery post.

Chinese arts paper original work

Inscription reads work of Pan Yan

YAN Egret bird below pink lotus flowers traditional Chinese painting

Of elegant and peaceful poise the Egret stands under the beautiful pink lotus flowers in this peaceful and calming natural scene.

A classic animal of “bird and flower” Chinese traditional painting styles the Egret is a frequent comer to salt water and fresh water habitats, wading in shallow waters upon its lithe and long legs where it feeds upon fish and other small animals.

The density of mature lotus plants with seed pod suggest an area of verdant foliage while the open flowers and large leaves suggest a well lit perhaps summer day, in all this picture generates a great deal of warmth from this scene of natural beauty.

Drawn vertically upon a long length of traditional paper our artist has used the large free hand style with a mineral based black ink to draw out the larger features of lotus plants, while a smaller brush has rendered detail and natural lifelike poise to the egret.

This painting is upon a long sheet of traditional arts paper of white colour and carries a slightly yellow tint as evidenced in the photo which is common to this type of traditional paper.

The complete work is longer in length than this close up photo and includes the bottom portion of the bird not visible in the above photo.

The painting is unmounted though would be sold mounted upon a fabric canvas banner of good quality and suitable to be hung or transported safely.

This work and others displayed in our art gallery are available for purchase directly from the artist through negotiated price, contact address is provided in the top most art gallery post.

Chinese arts paper original work

Inscription reads year of “Ding You”

YAN Black and white lotus flower traditional painting

Rich gradiated black mineral ink is used to delineate the shapes of the foreground lotus leaves and background lotus flower in this traditional black and white painting by our designer.

Though black and white in tone this painting evokes a warm season of spring as the new flower or the lotus opens towards the bright sun and the younger lotus leaves are seen to be just starting to open while the already open leaf evokes a healthy picture of life and blossoming energy.

A large fine fibre goat or rabbit hair brush is used to define the general form of the lotus leaf. Careful control of the amount of ink absorbed by the brush before painting and the rate it which it is applied to the paper after allows in one stroke the colour gradient and shape of the leaf to be precisely drawn out.

This is followed with a smaller fine brush which completes the details of the leaves structure in finer detail, more details of this technique and others are written in our short art blog articles on the lotus flower in traditional Chinese painting.

Traditional Chinese arts painting has two commonly accepted fields which are free hand writing of the type that is painted by our designer and technique painting.

The free hand painting method uses a series of controlled strokes to “write” out the shapes of what one wishes to be painted through a careful stroke which is similar to Chinese character calligraphy that this art form historically developed hand in hand with.

Of the free hand painting method two styles are prevalent. Small free hand is a smaller more detailed style that can produce results similar to the technique painting method while large free hand is a painting style of broader strokes that could be argued to better represent the concept of the will of the painter flowing into the paper as the larger stroke and smaller total stroke number allow an experienced painter to better freely write out ones will.

Our own designer writes in the larger free hand style which is well represented in this black and white painting with the large brush strokes of the lotus leaves.

This painting is upon a long sheet of traditional arts paper of white colour and carries a slightly yellow tint as evidenced in the photo which is common to this type of traditional paper.

The painting is unmounted though would be sold mounted upon a fabric canvas banner of good quality and suitable to be hung or transported safely.

This work and others displayed in our art gallery are available for purchase directly from the artist through negotiated price, contact address is provided in the top most art gallery post.

Traditional Chinese Painting – Lotus Flower

Background

Coloured petals of myriad types of colour and a special plant that has accompanied humanity for millennia with myriad uses – as lotus root food, herbal medicine and a beautiful flowering plant – the lotus with it’s verdantly bright lotus flower is recognised not just in China but across the world.

As centrepiece in the “bird and flower” genre the lotus flower is a well known and distinctive art focus that has been well loved in Chinese culture.

Tang dynasty poems sang by ladies of culture to regale courtesans in ancient Xian associated this flower closely with what many modern Chinese believe to the golden age of historical China, linking it’s bloom and fragrance to the fine palaces and glorious bustle of this silk road contemporary metropolis.

Chinese lotus paintings cover styles and designs wide ranging and differing in character, the lotus flower itself naturally demonstrates a range of colours which in turn are painted in many different though traditionally dictated ways, while the great leaves act as shade for plethora of painted animals which often are accompany to the scene.

The plant itself is a complex flower growing from an underwater tuber through to stem and blossoming with an evident flower with core of female receptacle and surrounding male pistil. Budding leaves, sepals, seed capsule and a defined life cycle for all components once diligently studied allow the artist to understand and better “write” the plant onto paper in a more detailed and complete way.

Drawing of the lotus flower is considered a basic prerequisite of approaching the “bird” part of “bird and flower” painting as it often is the “landscape” which forms the basis for bird to “live” in as well as fish, insect and other small animals which are often placed in scene.

Drawing of the Lotus Form

Often starting from the point of petals Chinese art comprises at least seven different techniques for drawing lotus petals.

Our designer has drawn from the – starting point – of the “draw bone” technique where different ink tones are lightly daubed in a careful single stroke to place the broad shape of each petal.

Three pigments are prepared which are a breaking or light tone colour, proper mid tone colour then the same colour toned with a blacker ink, in one stroke a tending toward light brush is dipped into the three colours respectively to daub it in the light to dark colour gradient after which the petal is drawn.

In a single stroke the shape of the petal is then defined by the movement with which the brush touches the paper, from the tip to the base the brush is splayed out forming the petal from tip to root.

The general petals depth and shape is defined by the manner in which the brush touches the paper, from the tip the brush is splayed out to the base with pressure varied over the stroke to produce gradient in colour – in this case the tip of the petal is darker than the base.

This play of pressure will create bands of colour in this particular style while the manner in which the angle of the brush is splayed out will define the shape of the petal conforming the perspective angle.

Continuing with the above picture after the basic impression of the petal is drawn the petal is continued with the “lay line colour” method, this is continued with a finer brush laying a typically deeper colour line impressing the outline and the veins of the petal over the previously drawn “draw bone” strokes.

In Chinese painting each stroke like the stroke in a character is made to represent an evident and precise part of the greater picture – as a complex character is represented by many strokes to produce a particular meaning so in painting the strokes are precisely “written” out to make a final form.

Though similar to other painting techniques in that a series of strokes create a final form the traditional Chinese technique is more stipulating in that each and every brush stroke must have a clearly defined and recognised form. It is the layering of the these carefully placed and impressed strokes that form the object with a stroke count that is very small in number in comparison to other painting methods.

This painting better represents a simpler “draw bone” technique of which the petal is impressed in a single stroke.

As before a selection of three pigments are prepared and applied to the brush while the gradient of pigment applied is controlled by the depth to which the brush is applied to the ink.

As the petal is drawn colour is gradiated out by the angle of which the brush touches the paper and the coating of the previously prepared pigment which now coats the brush while care is taken to control the flow of ink to paper corresponding to the depth of colour and shape required for the petal.

Large expansive leaves of the lotus plant are drawn in similar fashion to the petals, this unfinished work above as well as displaying a beautiful small blue bird resting on a stem of a lotus flower illustrates large shady leaves drawn in the traditional fashion.

In the draw out bone technique a dry vertical brush first strokes out the bare shape of the leaf bones, a wetter black daubed brush then draws out larger impressions of leaves where when the brush is wet the heaver elements of the leaf are applied and the lighter parts are drawn from the drier part of the brush.

In this second painting using a frequently used mineral based black ink lotus leaves are drawn in a different technique.

A large though fine haired goat or rabbit brush is used for this style of black pigment drawn leaf, where the large brush is carefully applied to draw the leaf in a single stroke care being taken to apply gradient of colour to better define the edge of the leaf.

In the second stroke to complete a dry brush finishes the structure or bones of the leaf including the central stem part this is in opposite order to the first technique talked about.

Summation

Of myriad techniques for painting lotus I have covered only a few basic points taken as highlights from some of the many Chinese texts available on the subject and recommended reading for any interested in painting in this way.

Perhaps the most important point of all dedicated books is that the characteristic of the plant should be recorded from nature and learnt by heart, continuous practising and careful reflection of the key traits of the flower will ensure the best results.

In this observation and recreation of the natural world modern Chinese traditional paintings is as much connected to the natural world as the first peoples who discovered tools to record the world which was then as is now so connected to us.