6th February - 30th June 2020 

Chinese painting is one of the oldest forms of artistic expression in the world with many different styles and techniques developed across many centuries in China. The most common medium include ink on paper or silk that are then mounted onto scrolls and displayed. The tradition comes from the same philosophy as calligraphy, which focuses on brushstrokes and shades of black ink.

The 18 paintings displayed in this gallery are reproductions of classic Chinese paintings from the Song (690-1279), Ming (1368- 1644), and Qing (1644-1912) Dynasties and show three main painting styles: landscapes, close ups on nature, and narrative paintings.

Landscape paintings were first created during the Han Dynasty and have become the most popular type of art in China since the 10 th century. People and structures are often included in these images to illustrate the scale of nature. The depiction of flowers and plants is also popular due to their inherent beauty and elegance as well as a way to convey messages through flower symbology and puns on the Chinese language. Narrative
paintings, which were popular during the Song Dynasty, are a unique blend of painting, poetry, and calligraphy that tell elaborate stories from a single image illustrated across one or more scrolls.

中国画是世界上最古老的艺术表达形式之一。许多个世纪以来，它已经发展出众多不同风格和绘画技巧。其中，最常见的国画形式为着墨于宣纸或丝绸，再用卷轴装帧，最后悬挂展示。国画的传统与书法背后的哲学思想一致，都注重笔画手法以及墨汁在纸上呈现的深浅对比。
在此展厅中展示的18幅中国古代绘画复制品，原作来源于宋朝(690-1279)、明朝(1368-1644)、清朝(1644-1912)。其涵盖三种主要绘画分类：风景画、静物画、主题画。

山水画在汉朝首次出现，一经面世便成为自10世纪以来这片土地上最广为流传的艺术形式。人与房屋结构等常常出现在画中以展现自然环境的维度。对花与其它植物的刻画在国画中同样十分常见，原因为它们本身的绚丽夺目，也因为汉语中能通过有关花的象征和押韵进行表达。主题画的发展在宋朝十分兴盛。它融合了绘画、诗歌和书法，通过一幅横跨一个或多个卷轴的画面讲述故事。

这些卷轴画的复制品全部由David Wei向博物馆捐赠，如有意购买，请向前台咨询。

撰稿：戴一心 翻译：陈紫椰

策展部义工

Classic Chinese Paintings, Level one gallery, Museum of Chinese Australian History

Classic Chinese Paintings

Detail of Fish Algae Illustration, Ming Dynasty

Detail of Peach Source Wonderland Illustration, Ming Dynasty