The Six Principles of Painting as Applied to Works of Art - Research Paper Example

ART HISTORY: THE SIX PRINCIPLES OF PAINTING AS APPLIED TO WORKS OF ART By Art History: The Six Principles of Painting as Applied to Works of Art Introduction Xie He is a renowned writer who focused on Chinese art. He highlighted the importance of developing themes to be depicted in a painting. According to him, an artist had a choice of six principles that he could depict in painting. The six principles described were critical criteria for judging good pieces of artwork. Most of the principles remain relevant in modern art, and there is evidence that artists still use them. This paper will discuss the six principles and highlight artworks that use each of the principles. Spirit Resonance/ Rhythm and Breath: Auspicious Cranes The first principle of art that Xie described was that of spirit resonance rhythm and breath. Xie highlighted that artists who qualified gave life to their art pieces. According to Xie, a painting needed to have life so that it could have an impact on the viewer. In his view, work that did not have any spirit resonance or rhythm was useless and dead. Symbolically, Xie described a viewer seeing the art of an artist as practically taking in the artist’s breath. One of the Chinese paintings that reflect this principle is Emperor Huizong’s artwork titled Auspicious Cranes. The work was 112.5 × 138.2 cm in size. It belonged to the Liaoning Provincial Museum in Shenyang. Emperor Huizong was a leader of his dynasty, but who exhibited an artistic talent. Despite the need to focus on leadership issues, he found time to practice the art. In this painting, he was striving to depict a poetic idea. An inscription on the painting depicted the idea he sought to communicate. The poem described how immortal birds appeared next to clouds in an effort to announce good tidings. In the poem, he highlighted that the birds arranged themselves in twos forming a noble arrangement. The painting depicted 20 white cranes, forming a design above the sky, which appeared as though it was just above the city gates. From the poem next to the painting, it became evident that Huizong sought to depict an event that had occurred. The fact that the white cranes arranged themselves in twos made them appear as if certain rhythm inspired the arrangement. Any viewer looking at the painting would definitely be moved. According to the historical context of the painting, it is true that people who watched the occurrence of the real event regarded it highly. This makes it evident that the painting depicts the artist’s use of spirit resonance and rhythm1. Bone Method: Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk The Bone Method as an art principle denoted the brush strokes used by an artist, which were closely associated with his handwriting and calligraphy. Xie highlighted that the use of calligraphy in art was of significant importance because it reflected unique aspects about the artist. Judging from the use of calligraphy in a piece of art, it would be possible to define the specific handwriting of the artists. Emperor Huizong is one of the artists who placed emphasis on the use of calligraphy in his works. In one of his famous paintings titled Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk, he depicted the use of this principle. Notably, the painting was done in the early 12th century and was 37 × 147 cm in size2. It was a hand scroll done with ink on silk. The painting is owned by the Japanese and Chinese special fund, curtsey of museum of fine arts Boston. Interestingly, Huizong was copying an ancient piece of work done by Zhang Xuan in the 8th century. Worth noting is the fact that copying older masterpieces were a common aspect of Chinese art. Huizong was famous for his use of calligraphy, which he emphasized in his academy. The piece of work was a tripartite composition, which comprised of three images, depicting court women performing tasks related to the making of silk. One of the three images, which depicted four court women arranged in a manner that depicted a lunar phase and actively indulged in stretching a white yawn of silk is a clear representation of Huizong’s use of calligraphy. In this image, the horizontal representation of the silk is the central focus. This was brought about by the use of brush strokes and is a representative of Huizong’s handwriting. His calligraphy in this image coupled with the use of colors in the dresses of the four women is a clear reflection of the bone method as an artistic principle described by Xie. Correspondence to the Object: Sketches of Birds and Insects Xie described an additional principles, which he termed correspondence to the object. Under this principle, he highlighted that the artist should make good use of lines and shapes in an effort to depict the shape and form of the subject. According to Xie, a good artist was one who exhibited a clear understanding of his art subject and depicted it in the artwork. One of the Chinese artist named Huang Quan depicted his expertise in the use of this principle in his work titled Sketches of Birds and Insects. The work was 41.5 ×70 cm in size and is owned by the Palace Museum in Beijing. Without doubt, Huang used lines and color effectively in an effort to depict the 24 insects, birds, and turtles in his painting. The shape of each of the animals presented appears exactly as it is in real life. Through his use of lines, he makes distinctive features of each animal very clear to the viewer. Some animals are depicted standing while others are either gliding or flying. In whatever position he depicts the animals, he uses lines to depict even the tiniest of details. A close analysis of the birds can reflect his use of lines to illustrate the wings3. The painting reflects exact perspectives brought about by the painters expertise in the use of lines and understanding of his subjects. Suitability to Type: Mounted Official Xie described the fourth principle that artists use as suitability to type. He defined this principle as the skill to use color, tone, and layers in an effort to recreate the subject being painted. This principle pointed to the use of realism in painting whereby the artist had to depict faithfulness when illustrating a subject. One of the ancient Chinese painters named Zhao Mengfu applied this principle in his painting titled Mounted Official. The painting was 1296.8 × 52 cm, and was available at the palace museum in Beijing. The painting depicted a man wearing a red coat accompanied by the hat of an official. The man is depicted as mounting a horse. Notably, Mengfu inscribe the title and date of his work on the painting. In addition, he included an inscription that highlighted his passion for painting horses. He also indicated that he had been considering authentic scrolls by artists who came before him such as Han Gan4. It is evident that Mengfu was trying the realism principle he had observed from other artists. The painting depicts the proper use of color I his effort to remain faithful to hiss two subjects namely the horse and the official. Notably, officials during that time wore such bright colored coats. Moreover, the real color of the horse is depicted in the painting. In every sense, the painting tried to depict the real images and sizes of both the man and the horse. There is evident use of layers in making the painting as real as possible. Therefore, Mengfu’s painting depicts the fourth principle described by Xie. Division and Planning: A Solitary Temple amid Clearing Peaks The fifth principle described by Xie was that of division and Planning, which fell under the composition of a piece. This principle denoted the ways in which an artist brought to view the different parts of his painting. An artist should rely on skill and expertise in order to determine how the subjects in a piece of work will be framed, and viewed by the audience. One of the artists in Chinese history who applied this principle is Li Cheng in a piece of work titled A Solitary Temple amid Clearing Peaks. This piece of work was 111.8 × 55.9 cm in size. The painting is held by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. The painting depicts a mounted landscape that can be described as a monument. In the central part of the painting, Cheng depicted a temple. At its base, there was a mixture of human activities. The upper part of the painting depicted the peaks of the mountain. Without doubt, Cheng applied the principle of composition. This is because he divided his work into sections. He was keen to decide what the viewer would observe in the painting. The division of work into sections explains why he had a base of the painting that focused on human activities5. The middle part depicted a temple while the upper part of the painting clearly depicted the peaks of the mountain. There is evidence of prior planning in the way Cheng depicted the different subjects. Such a high level of composition makes it evident that he had an outstanding skill in planning. Transmission by Copying: Court Ladies Wearing Flowered Headdresses The sixth principle described by Xie was that of transmission by copying. This principle denoted the recreation and copying of art from older artists. Xie highlighted that there was a salient need for artists to copy the elements used by previous artists. They would only advance if they took notice of the styles and elements used previously. Xie indicated that transmission by copying was the avenue through which modern art emerged. One of the artists who applied this principle was Zhou Fang, who belonged to the tang dynasty. In one of his works titled Court Ladies Wearing Flowered Headdresses, he depicted his expertise in copying from ancient artists. The work was 46 × 180 cm in size and belonged to the Liaoning Provincial Museum in Shenyang. In this painting, Fang depicted heavily powdered faces belonging to court women. The depiction of court women in paintings was not a new aspect6. Zhang Xuan, whose paintings depicted court women performing different tasks, had done it in the 8th century. Fang copied this aspect and depicted court ladies in his painting. However, he made it more exquisite by giving more details to their makeup and headdresses. Conclusion Evidently, the sic principles described by Xie He were specifically applied by Chinese artists who lived in different times. A close analysis of the works highlighting each principle reveals that the artists contemplated on the principle before painting the piece of work. The use of the principles in each piece of art makes the paintings outstanding. Notably, there are other works depicting the usage of the six principles both in ancient and modern times. Bibliography Barnhart, Richard M. 1997. Three thousand years of Chinese painting. New Haven: Yale University Press. Read More