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Chinese Brush Paintings on Xuan or silk 

在宣纸或真丝上作画的中国画

These are painted on Xuan Paper with Chinese painting pigments in either Xieyi or Gongbi Style. Xuan or rice paper, is a kind of paper originating in ancient China used for writing and painting.

'Xieyi' or freehand style also loosely termed watercolour or brush painting, and also known as 'literati  painting', as it was one of the 'four arts' of the Chinese Scholar-official class. In theory this was an art practiced by gentlemen, a distinction that began to be made in writings on art from the Song dynasty.

Gongbi, meaning 'meticulous', uses highly detailed brushstrokes that highlights details very precisely. It is often highly coloured and usually depicts figural or narrative subjects. The gongbi style had its beginnings approximately 2000 years ago during the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) when Han's political stability and prosperity favoured the advancement of the arts.

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