Traditional Chinese painting was fundamentally an abstract art form. Although there were no absolute abstract Chinese paintings in its original meaning, objects in a painting were not a direct copy of the nature world following the principle of perspective. It was rather a combination or harmony between the nature world and human emotion, a product of “heaven (nature) and human”. The effect Chinese painters would like to illustrate in their paintings was not a visual effect of colors and patterns as their Western counterparts would like to achieve. The description of objects in their paintings was no means accurate and few concerned about such factors as colors, principle of perspective, anatomy, surface feel, and relative size. What they would like to achieve was a world in their mind of non materials. The nature world was not an object for them to make a true copy and it was rather elements for them to build their own world. 

About Author

Lin Ci, original name Zhang Qian, graduated from the Zhejiang Academy of Art and China Art Research Institute, where he earned an M.A. degree. He was a research fellow with China Art Research Institute, specializing in art history and visual arts. His major books include Accordion Pleated Skirts, Gospel Valley, and Mango Trees.