In teaching my students about the basics of brush strokes, and Chinese Brush Painting in general, I cannot circumvent some fundamental painting techniques. To make my case more poignant, I have to fall back on a favorite subject matter, the orchid. Orchid is touted as one of the 4 "PALS" in Chinese painting, possessing the virtue of lady like elegance and arrogance.
There is a very hierarchical way of depicting orchid. The insert is a page from my instructional material.
The lower half of the diagram dissects the composition of the orchid leaves. It has to have a "master" leaf and a "slave" leaf and these two cast a general orientation of the plant. The "master" and the "slave" leaves must form a "phoenix eye" at the base. A third leaf ( No. 3 in the diagram) must break out from this "phoenix eye" to dictate the height of the plant. In other words, if these 3 elements are not arranged in this prescribed fashion, then the painting is a failed one, or the artist has not done his/her homework. In some ways, such paintings have absolutely nothing that remotely resemble a studio "still life" or an on location plein-air rendition of the plant, but more to do with the discipline of floral design and arrangement. After all, the painting of orchid can be construed as an euphemistic expression of virtues and beauties.
Such conformity to "Tradition" in a way stifles the advancement of Chinese Brush Painting. At the very least, it lends to create the impression that Chinese brush paintings seem to copy each other. This is especially confusing with the influx of mass produced pieces of "art". Yet if the artist was to be divorced from this tradition, then he/she could be inviting a brow beating and deemed being ignorant of the basics.
My intention here is to neither advocate, nor to destroy the adherence to "rules". I am just trying to stir up discussion as to what is deemed "correct" or "incorrect", especially for the new enthusiasts in Chinese Brush Painting. I encourage you to find your own orchids in the library, at your local galleries and research on the net and see for yourself. Whether chop suey is Chinese food or not depends on your own sophistication.
