Chinese Brush Painting

Chinese brush painting has been practiced in China for over 6,000

years. Traditional Chinese artists paint human figures, landscapes, birds

and flowers. Painters use their brushes and paints to show how the bird's

feathers feel silky, how the waterfall pours down the mountain and sprays

the trees, and how the court lady's steps aregraceful and elegant. An artist

will sometimes complement his or her painting by writing a poem next to

the picture. Written in calligraphy, the poem may explain the painting's

theme, share the artist's reason for painting the picture, or reveal the

name of the person who will receive the painting. After thepainting

and the calligraphy are finished, the artist will sign the painting

by adding a seal. Seals are stamps made by carving Chinese characters

into stone or wood. The characters on the seal may be the artist's name,

a traditional saying, or the painting's theme. The artist dips the seal in

scarlet red paint and presses it to the paper. Adding a red seal to a black and

white painting is called "adding the eye to the dragon."