Chinese Gongbi is also named Traditional Chinese Fine Brush Painting or Chinese Realistic Painting or Claborate - style Painting. It is painted by Mao Bi (Chinese writing brush /Chinese ink brush), ink and Chinese painting colors on the Shu Xuan paper or silk that it is not permeable (for it has been covered by the glue and alum).   

Chinese Gongbi is opposite to the Chinese Xieyi painting. The latter is a more freely and quickly sketched paintings, mainly to sketch the artist thoughts. Chinese Gongbi emphasizes the long? That means: Every thing should be expressed with the quite tidy, meticulous style. Each line, stroke and detail, even though a piece of hair must be painted clear, therefore, it requires the artists not only have good painting skills, but also to work with a quite peaceful hearts and much patience. Usually, a Chinese painting needs for a long time to complete.   

According to the technique, Chinese Gongbi painting includes Baimiao, Gongbi Dancai (with light colors) and Gongbai Zhongcai (with accumulator colors).   

The main characteristics of Chinese Gongbi painting is:   

-- To use line as the bone of the painting, everything is expressed by the different lines.   

-- Every detail should be used to express the meaning of the artists, to emphasize the spirit of the object. At this point, it is same as Chinese Xieyi and all of the other Chinese paintings.   

-- To work according to the regular formulas.

-- There is strong ornamental result.   

To paint a Chinese Gongbi painting, usually have to go through the regular steps: first of all, to draft it with pencil, then to copy it as a Chinese Baimiao with Chinese ink and brush, then to color it times (usually 3 to 9 times) to be a Chinese Gongbi painting.   

Song Dynasty is the highest peak of Chinese Gongbi painting, every student who learns Gongbi Painting must learn to paint some paintings from Song Dynasty.   

I am lucky enough that restart to paing Chinese Gongbi in Chinese National Academy of Arts by the good treatment by my doctors in USA and in China after stopping to paint any Gongbi Painting for 1 years and 10 months because of my eyesight problem.

I do hope that you can find some difference between my current Chinese Gongbi Paintings and the works before I came the school. :-)

I am just a part time student, most of time, I teach myself, so, I do hope to get your support, direction and support. If you have any questions, comments and suggestions, please write to shirley@ebridge.cn or shirleyz004@yahoo.com, or publish your opinions in Forum For Friends. You are welcomed.

--Shirley
Nov 2, 2011/i>