History of Chinese Brush Painting

Art of the Far East has long fascinated the Western world. To appreciate the beauty of the art and culture, one should have a basic understanding of Chinese cultural traditions and history. The purpose of this essay is to briefly describe the chronological progression of art history from the Bronze Age to the present day China.

Throughout China's long and turbulent history, many rulers attempted to conquer and unite the vast land mass stretching from the desolate deserts of the west to the Pacific Ocean of the east, from the Siberian steppes of the north to the tropical jungles of the south. Despite the successive fall and rise of empires, which brought upon, war, famine and death, these events did not subdue the creative power of artists and artisans, who slowly mastered the various styles of art works, including ceramics, metals, sculptures and paintings that would become uniquely Chinese.