Art of Chinese Brush Painting

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Caroline Self. Art of Chinese Brush Painting

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We thank Sherry Kendrick for her advice, for use of her paintings in the first chapter, and especially for her help in doing calligraphy.

Thanks to the Barbara Bauer Literary Agency for all their help.

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Chinese astrology rose out of these correspondences. The orbit of Jupiter around the sun was rounded to 12 years. Each year was assigned a Zodiac animal. The combination of yin and yang elements and the Five Elements were assigned to each Zodiac animal. Combining the 12 zodiac animals and the Five Elements produced a 60-year cycle. In other words, it would take 60 years for a yin earth ox combination to occur again. A person’s birth year is associated with one combination in the cycle. A person’s birthdate was also linked to a lunar month and a corresponding inner animal. The two-hour timeframe of the person’s birth was linked to a secret animal. All of these factors were used in determining a person’s natural traits so one could be guided to a suitable profession, identify an appropriate mate, and avoid the possible negative behaviors associated with the animal signs. In this way, the Chinese Zodiac was looking to the natural world for guidance and trying to support the Confucian ideals of good behavior.

After the repression of the creative arts in the Qin dynasty, the Han emperors gave artists official recognition and encouragement. However, painting was still considered a craft for recording appearances. Painters did architectural renderings, recorded historical events pictorially, and did portraits of virtuous officials and famous people.

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