Formats of Chinese Painting

a horizontal hanging scroll

The finished traditional Chinese painting is mounted on a support system in the suitable form to display and keep in storage.The principal forms of traditional Chinese painting are the scroll and sreen, based the sizes of painting, the forms are various.

Zhongtang - Central scroll (hung in the middle of the wall of the main room), the general

sizes of Zhongtang: the painting 27" X 54", mounted on a scroll of 29" X 69"

Hanging Scroll - Hanging scrolls are both horizontal and vertical, usually mounted and hung on the wall. It's very familiar and were used for all kinds of paintings and calligraphy works.

vertical hanging scrolls

Album - Albums are consisted of many small paintings or calligraphy that mounted onto individual pages, then assembled together as a book.

Fan - Traditional Chinese folding fans and round fans are made of paper that braced with bamboo sticks, and generally were beautified with paintings or calligraphy works on their surface. Some artists like to cut the rice paper in the shape of fan and then painted onto it, this kind of artworks are called fan. The fans can be mounted and have special artistic appeals.

Hand scroll–The long, horizontal scroll is also called a hand scroll and is usually less than 25" high but maybe up to 60' long.

Square - The painting or calligraphy works in the shape of square are called Doufang (Square), that means the width and height of painting/calligraph are almost the same, generally the sizes should be 19" X 19" or 26" X 26". Square can be mounted in screen or scroll.

Screen - Screens were a popular form of displaying Chinese paintings, the painting was mounted with fibre in shape of single plane and ready for framing.

a screen mounted Chinese painting

a screen mounted square painting

Chinese painting

Chinese painting master - Cui Ruzhuo

Chinese painting master - Cui Ruzhuo

The roots of Chinese painting can be traced back to paintings on Neolithic pottery six or seven thousand years ago. Since similar tools and lines were used for the earliest painting and writing, painting is said to have the same origin as calligraphy. Thus, Chinese paintings usually integrate poetry or calligraphy with themes that include figures, landscapes, flowers, birds and other animals. Traditional Chinese painting remains a highly valued genre, often on exhibit in China as well as other countries. The contemporary art world in China is also very active. Some Chinese artists have become adept at Western-style painting, both oil and watercolour. Many Chinese painters have created works that combine traditional Chinese painting techniques with those of the West, enhancing both forms. The China Art Gallery and other art galleries hold individual or joint art exhibitions year in year out. Art expositions are held each year in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai.