Stages of development of Chinese art

In all periods of the formation of China, his art developed on a dynastic basis. The earliest forms of art in China were made of ceramics and jade, and later, during the Shang Dynasty, bronze inclusions were added to the works. The Shang dynasty is most remembered for their blue casting, marked by clarity of detail.

Early Chinese music and poetry influenced the writings of Confucius himself, as well as the Chinese poet and statesman Qu Yuan. Early Chinese music was based on percussion instruments, which were later supplemented by strings and reeds. The first Chinese furniture was usually made from softwood or bamboo.

In imperial China, porcelain has been refined to such perfection that in English, the word "China" has become synonymous with high-quality porcelain.

Around the first century AD, Buddhism appeared in the Middle Kingdom, although it really became popular and gained significant distribution only from the fourth century. So far, Chinese Buddhism continues to flourish. It should be noted that since the fourth century in imperial China, calligraphy and painting began to be highly valued in court circles. Many works, before the invention of paper, were performed on silk.

Buddhist architecture and sculpture flourished during the Tang Dynasty, which was especially open to foreign influence. Buddhist sculpture, inspired by Indian art, marked a return to classical forms. Despite significant influence, by the end of the Tang dynasty all foreign religions in densely populated Chinese state were outlawed in order to support Taoism.

The rule of the Song Dynasty was marked by the triumph of lyric poetry, when feelings and desires were expressed in the works. Also in the art of the Song Dynasty, paintings appeared with a more subtle depiction of landscapes, with blurry outlines and contours of mountains, in which the impressionistic processing of natural phenomena was felt at a distance. It was during this period that the emphasis in painting was on spiritual motives, and not on emotional elements, as in the previous period. Under the Yuan Dynasty, Chinese artist Zhao Mengfu (趙孟頫) contributed to the development of later Chinese landscape painting.

The art of imperial China was later marked by two specific dynasties: Ming and Qing. Artworks in the Ming Dynasty are distinguished by improving the color of paintings through the use of an extended color range. Due to this composition, the paintings came to life, became brighter and richer. The Qing Dynasty contributed to the development of Chinese art by the discovery of the Beijing Opera, which became the best Chinese opera.

The Qing period of poetry was marked by a poet named Yuan Mei, whose poems are described as works that have "an unusually clear and elegant language."

Thanks to the efforts of the masters of the Shanghai school during the late reign of the Qing Dynasty, traditional Chinese art reached its climax. This rise continues to the present, embodied in the forms of "Chinese painting".