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Ancient Chinese Art
Ancient Chinese art is one of the oldest continuous traditions. Art marks the first time humans sculpted with metal, copper, and other materials in order to create vessels. The start of this tradition dates back to the Neolithic Period through the Shang Dynasty, past the Zhou Dynasty, and continued well past the Qin Dynasty to the Han Dynasty. The main form of ancient art stems from calligraphy and painting, however other mediums include clay, jade, lacquer, and silk. In Ancient China the people believed that art was a way of educating people in the ways of morality as well as bring longevity and prosperity. The art is expressed through simplicity with characteristics of nature and perspective.

Neolithic Period
Art has dated back to the Neolithic Period (c. 10,000-2,000 BC) where pottery was first created. The pottery made was intended to be used practically, as well as please the gods. Most pottery from this time was fashioned into bottles used for storage and bowls. The works were made from red, black, and gray clay and were decorated with carvings of symbols and depictions of nature. While most works of art were left unpainted, they were still decorated with imprints of indigenous leaf patterns and the imprint of cords pressed into the clay. During this period the use of jade, or the imperial gem as it was otherwise known as, was used to create cups, vases, and other decorative ornaments.

Shang Dynasty
Moving from the Neolithic Period formed the Shang Dynasty, also known as the Bronze Age (c. 1600-1050 BC). This particular period was famous for its bronze work, however the use of ivory, bone, jade, and clay were still used often. The bowls and vessels had three legs and were made in the likeness of animals, sometimes even dragons and other mythological creatures. The development of the kiln and piece-mold casting pushed the art movement forward. Piece casting was a technique in which a clay sculpture was covered with an additional layer of clay, then carefully cut vertically into three or four sections to create the mold. This aided in achieving intricate designs. Towards the end of the period some artists worked with metal in order to be more assertive of the caste system that was forming.

Zhou Dynasty
As time progressed into the Zhou Dynasty (1050-221 BC) the development of bronze ceremonial works and carvings from jade. The majority of the jars were made to look like birds and dragons and had carved inscriptions in the side of their lives for their ancestors and descendents. Specifically in Eastern Zhou artists began to create these works not for their gods and ancestors, but to show their rank in the hierarchy. The more sophisticated sculptors added different techniques, such as adding a greenish glaze to their finished product and firing it on a hotter wheel pot. Lacquer, the colored sap of a tree painted onto wood, was used to make small boxes and statues.

Qin Dynasty
The Qin dynasty (221-206 BC) is most famous for being the period in which the Terracotta Warriors were constructed. The massive team of craftsmen built over eight thousand statues that stand nearly two meters tall and weigh approximately one hundred and sixty kilograms. Each artist evaluated their own work and carved their name into each figure they created. This project took more than seven hundred thousand workers and thirty six years of labor intensive work before it was cut short by Qin Shi Huang's sudden death. As a result of his untimely passing, the tomb was sealed along with all the craftsmen who aided in the project; the workers were buried alive in the surrounding pits in order to protect the secrets of the Terracotta Army. There are a few theories as to why the army was constructed to begin with. One being that the warriors served as protectors to the emperor in the afterlife. The others believed it was a way to show rank and display his wealth and glory. Some people theorize that the warriors are placeholders for real human sacrifices.

Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) is considered to be the end of the Ancient Chinese history period. At this time more and more painters emerged, most of which created elaborate portraits of the royal court. The most notable types of art during this period were the art of calligraphy and painting.

Calligraphy
While there isn’t an exact date in which calligraphy began, there was a developed system in use by the Shang Dynasty where oracle bones were carved with inscriptions and cast onto bowls and other vessels. Although engraved writing was already a prominent part of artwork then, the developments in paper, brushes and ink led to a boom in handwriting. Most brushes were made from animal hair and the ink was made of pine carbon and glue. The root word calligraphy means “beautiful writing” and is derived from the Greek language, kallos meaning beauty and graphein meaning to write.

Painting
While silk was the main medium used for many years, the increase in paper production led to more experimentation in painting. In the fullness of time portraits became increasingly popular and appeared on stone walls, pillars, along with sentiments on tombs. There were two main techniques used in painting; Gongbi 工笔, which translates to “working pen” is a style with very meticulous brush strokes and is saturated with color. Xieyi 写意, translates to “freehand” was typically used in landscape paintings. Many artists overemphasized forms with watercolor and ink and was often used as an outlet for their emotions.