What is "sketching", and what is its significance and value?

Cao Tong's painting is a watercolor painting by ancient Guangzhou people on Cao Tong paper. 18 and 19 century were mainly exported abroad. This painting mainly reflects the social life scenes and living habits of social figures in the late Qing Dynasty, which is of great significance and value to the study of early western paintings in China. Cao Tong painting rose around 1820 and reached its peak in 1880. As a postcard of China at that time, Cao Tong's paintings recorded the local customs and social environment of China people at that time, which was one of the ways for foreigners to understand China.

For the grass painting, grass paper is an indispensable material in grass painting. Because of its unique texture and colorful effect on the whole painting, even the palm-sized toilet paper was deeply loved by artists at that time.

However, grass brush painting uses draft paper. The whole painting has vivid characters and rich colors. It adopts western painting principles and reflects the local conditions and customs of China at that time, so it is very popular with westerners. However, with the popularization of photography technology, sketching gradually declined and eventually became extinct.

However, although the grass-covered paintings were painted by ancient Guangzhou people, most of them were exported abroad because of the prevalence of grass-covered paintings at that time, and the works handed down from generation to generation naturally spread abroad. Cao Tong paper is cut from the pith of the shrub known as "Cao Tong", and it is not made by the usual desizing method. Therefore, even though the production technology of Cao Tong paper was unusual, it was deeply loved by watercolor painters at that time, and it was also the most important part of Cao Tong's paintings.

Primarily collected in museums in western countries, medulla tetrapanacis paintings are of high historical and artistic research value because they are specific historical products. With people's understanding and understanding of sketching, even the extinct traditional century-old craft will eventually revive.