Ancient Chinese Art History

Chinese art is in many ways very different from most western produced art. By this I do not mean simply in style and in the use of materials, but also, very importantly, its application and the expectations of a piece. The first instances of what could be called Chinese art date as far back as 10,000 BC, and was in the form of simple pottery marked with patterns made by some form of cord, and also sculptures. 


 One of the strongest influences on Chinese art, and Chinese paintings themselves, is early Chinese calligraphy and writing, the first instances of which are found during the Shang Dynasty (1700BC - 1046BC). Chinese characters were in the form of pictograms that gradually developed into the present day characters, most of which are unrecognizable as their original image (one exception is the character 'fei', meaning to fly, that still looks like a bird.)

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