Famous Chinese Paintings

Chinese brush paintings have captivated art admirers for centuries. As the Chinese culture has evolved, so have Chinese paintings. Examples of Chinese thematic paintings are figure painting, landscapes, calligraphy, royal court painting; and simple subjects such as fruit, flowers, or animals. All of the major themes throughout Chinese history can be divided into two painting styles, freehand called Shui-mo and Meticulous called Gong-bi. Gong-bi paintings are often referred to as Court-style paintings while Shui-mo is loosely referred to as watercolor or brush painting. Shui-mo is also called xie yi which translates to freehand style.

Famous Chinese painters include Dong Yuan, Fan Kuan, Guo Xi, Gu Kaizhi, Jing Hao, Ma Yuan, Qi Baishi, Shen Zhou, Wang Yani, Wu Daozi, Xia Gui, and Zhou Fang. All of the artists listed have painted famous Chinese paintings.