Bird Painting

July 16, 2020

Bird painting and flower painting are two popular types of Chinese paintings. The two styles have some common elements, but there are also many differences as well. Both styles are common during the Later Dynasty period (Xian Era) and during the Old Dynasty period ( Forbidden Dynasty).

Bird-and-flowers painting is a type of Chinese traditional painting normally associated with the academic artist-student style of Chinese art. Typically, most bird-and-flower paintings belong to the academic-student style of Chinese brush painting. In this style, brush strokes are made using a steely hand and larger brush stroke sizes and widths are employed to enhance the visual impact. There is very little room for expression in this type of painting because this type of painting usually relies on a steady hand and the usage of large, fine-brush strokes.

This style was most prolific during the Southern Song Dynasty (centered from 10 Infinite Dynasty to 14th Century CE). Unlike the previous two paintings, this one did not utilize fine-brush stroke and was done mostly on medium to large size brushes. This bird painting belonged to the “bird and flower” category. The subjects of these bird paintings were mostly domestic animals that served as sources of food during this era. It is also related to the Western painting genre of the scene of the wild, open landscape.

Some examples of these types of animal paintings are the work ofuan, jim hsui and han zu, all belonging to the Southern Song Dynasty. There are also some works by wu wei and liu wu, all belonging to the Old Dynasty. One other example of this type of painting is the reclining figure painting called liu jia bu Ong, from the Late Ming Dynasty. This reclining figure is surrounded by various birds in flight and enjoying a picnic. Another famous bird painting is the one by liu jia bu Ong and chu xiong (called chen rou), which belong to the Later Ming Dynasty.

Westerners later painted freehand style of bird-and-flowers paintings using paints that have medium to fine stroke and are made up of natural color pigments. Some examples are paintings by Wang Dehui, Wang Xian and Li Ruan. There are some Western artists who painted pictures with the help of calligraphy and Chinese calligraphy tools. Examples of these are paintings by Wu Liang, Bada Shan and Tie Jia.

In China, the great masters of bird painting are Tie Bu Lui, Li Ruan and Wu Liang. These three master painters portrayed different-colored birds in different-sized brushes. They used different medium like thin sticks, hollow bamboo tubes, feathers, and rice paper. The wonderful thing about their works of art is that they used a variety of brushes like the flat-tipped snyders, the needle nose snyders, long-tipped snyders and the cross-hatched snyders. Their works are highly praised by both the local as well as foreigners for their beautiful creativity and beauty of the painted scenes of birds.

There are also works of art belonging to the Westerners. Two examples of these are paintings by outpouring Snow White and her seven dwarfs, as well as paintings by Robert Rauschenberg and his wife Edith. Both of these artists depicted flowers and birds in their amazing oil paintings that are still highly sought after today. One of the most-loved works by these two American painters is their famous painting of the Little Red Shoe. And even today, hundreds of people visit China annually to take a glimpse of these exquisite works of art.

Bird painting has always been part of human culture since times immemorial. And now, this art form has transcended all cultural boundaries and is enjoyed by people from all walks of life. Whether you choose to paint birds in your own home or as a gift to someone else, you will definitely enjoy this relaxing hobby. In addition to its delectable beauty, bird paintings are also full of symbolic meanings. And if you really want to have an artistic masterpiece, I recommend that you choose to paint little owls instead of any other animal paintings.