EAST ASIAN ARTS

PAINTINGS AND
CALLIGRAPHY
ARTS 8 – LESSON 2
2ND QUARTER
Did you know that painting
started from prehistoric men?
 EARLY PAINTINGS
Prehistoric Men Used:

RED OCHRE BLACK PIGMENT

 EARLY PAINTINGS

• Often showed hunting scenes of man chasing various animals.

 EARLY PAINTINGS

• Were drawn on the walls of caves, blocks of stones, etc.

• Some are found in China.
 EASTERN PAINTINGS

• The history of
Eastern painting is
as old as the
civilization of China.

“SPRING OUTING OF THE TANG COURT”

What are the Painting
Subjects of East Asian
countries?
JAPAN

PAINTING SUBJECTS:
• Scenes from everyday life.
• Narrative scenes
crowded with figures and
details.
CHINA
PAINTING SUBJECTS:
• Flowers and birds
landscapes
• Palaces and temples
• Human figures
• Animals
• Bamboos and stones
KOREA PAINTING SUBJECTS:
• Landscape paintings
• Minhawa (the traditional folk
painting
• Four gracious plants (plum
blossoms, orchids or wild
orchids, chrysanthemums,
and bamboo)
• Bamboo
• portraits
 Important Aspects in East Asian Painting
Landscape painting.
• Was regarded as the highest form of Chinese
painting.
Three concepts of Chinese arts:
a. Heaven
b. Earth
c. Humankind (Yin – Yang)
 Light/Bright/Sun
Strong/Assertive
Dry/Hot/ Fire
Male
Positive Charge
Heaven
Dark/Moon Spring & Summer
Recessive
Nurturing
Damp/Cool/Water
Female
Negative Charge
Earth
Autumn & Winter
 Important Aspects in East Asian Painting
• Silk was often used as the medium to paint
upon but it was quite expensive.
• Cai Lun invented paper in the 1 century
st

A.D.
• The invention of paper provided not only a cheap and widespread medium
for writing, but painting became more economical.
Toah Shutou
Korea
Sansui-zu
Sesshu
(Winter Landscape
Japan)
 Important Aspects in East Asian Painting

• The ideologies of Confucianism, Daoism and

Buddhism played important roles in East Asian art.
• Chinese art expresses the human understanding of
the relationship between nature and humans.
Shen Zhou (Poet on Mountain) China
 Important Aspects in East Asian Painting
• The history of Korean painting dates to 108 C.E.,
when it appears as an independent form.
• It is said that until the Joseon Dynasty the primary
influence of Korean paintings were Chinese
paintings.
• Mountains and water are important features in
Korean landscape painting because it is a site for
building temples and buildings.
 Important Aspects in East Asian Painting

Landscape painting
• Represents both a portrayal of nature itself and
a codified illustration of the human view of
nature and the world.
Painting is closely related to
calligraphy among Chinese people.
What is calligraphy?
To the Chinese,
Calligraphy is the art
of beautiful
handwriting.
• In calligraphy, the
popular materials
which paintings
made are paper and
silk.
• Poets write their
calligraphy on their
paintings.
• Paintings can be
mounted on scrolls,
such as hanging or
hand scrolls, album
sheets, walls,
lacquerware, folding
screens and other
media.
• The earliest known Chinese logographs (ancient writing
symbols) are engraved on the shoulder bone of large
animals and on tortoise shells.
• Jiaguwen (shell-and-bone script). The script found on
these objects.
• Cangjie – is the legendary inventor of Chinese writing.
• Got his ideas from observing animals footprints and
bird’s claw mark on the sand as well as other natural
phenomena.
EXAMPLE OF JAPANESE CHARACTERS
EXAMPLE OF JAPANESE CHARACTERS
EXAMPLE OF CHINESE CHARACTERS
EXAMPLE OF CHINESE CHARACTERS
Materials:
Asynchronous Activity: Coffee Painting
Vellum paper (white), canvas board, or water color paper
paint brush
Black/brown coffee (instant)
Natural Varnish container
tissue/rag
note: you can use the usual theme of Chinese paintings like nature (landscape, flowers, fishes, plants, flowers)
procedure:
For the 1st container: - mix 2 spoons of coffee powder with 3 spoons of water. mix it well to get a medium
color.
For the 2nd container: - Mix 2 spoons of coffee powder with 2 spoons of water. mix it well to get a dark coffee
color.
1. trace a design on the paper or canvas.
2. apply medium color paint to be the base of any picture.
3. apply the dark color paint to do the darker shadings and outlines, darker shade gives a glossy effect to the
picture. if you want a lighter shade, just mix a few more drops of water.
4. when the whole painting is done, apply with natural varnish coating.
note: please read the scoring rubrics.
 Asynchronous Activity: Calligraphy

• Write a selected verse or message for a friend in calligraphic style

then affix your nickname at the right corner below your artwork with
the use of Chinese brush and water color. you may add borders
similar to the designs of Chinese paper arts.
Materials:
• Vellum paper
• Chinese brush
• Water color