What is oil painting, printmaking, watercolor painting, and Chinese painting?

Oil painting (an oil painting; a painting in oils) is a type of painting made by mixing pigments with quick-drying vegetable oils (linseed oil, poppy oil, walnut oil, etc.) on canvas, linen, cardboard or wooden boards. The thinners used in painting are volatile turpentine and dry linseed oil. The pigment attached to the picture has strong hardness and can maintain its luster for a long time after the picture dries. Relying on the hiding power and transparency of the pigment, the painted object is fully expressed, with rich colors and strong three-dimensional texture. Oil painting is one of the main types of Western painting.

Print is an important category of visual art. Printmaking in a broad sense can include graphics printed before the industrialization of printing, which generally have the nature of printmaking. The concept of contemporary printmaking mainly refers to artistic works conceived and created by artists and produced through plate making and printing procedures. Specifically, they are carved or etched on wood, stone, hemp glue, copper, zinc, etc., using knives or chemicals, and then printed. The picture comes out. The art of printmaking has been technically accompanied by the invention and development of printing. Ancient printmaking mainly refers to woodcuts, with a few copperplate engravings and color printing. The unique taste of knife and wood gives it independent artistic value and status in the history of Chinese culture and art.

Watercolor is a painting method that uses water to mix transparent pigments. It is called watercolor for short. Because the colors are transparent, covering one layer of color with another can produce special effects. However, mixing too many colors or covering too much will cause problems. It makes the colors dirty and water dries quickly, so watercolor painting is not suitable for making large works, but is suitable for making fresh and bright small paintings such as landscapes. The colors are easy to carry and can also be used to collect materials for sketching. Compared with other paintings, watercolor painting pays great attention to expression techniques. The painting methods are usually divided into two types: "dry painting method" and "wet painting method".

The term Chinese painting originated in the Han Dynasty. People in the Han Dynasty believed that China lived in the heaven and the earth, so they called it China. They called Chinese paintings "Chinese painting", or "Chinese painting" for short. It mainly refers to scroll paintings painted on silk, rice paper, and silk and framed. Traditional Chinese painting is a traditional painting form of the Han people. It is painted on silk or paper with a brush dipped in water, ink and color. Tools and materials include brushes, ink, Chinese painting pigments, rice paper, silk, etc. The themes can be divided into figures, landscapes, flowers and birds, etc., and the techniques can be divided into figurative and freehand brushwork. The content and artistic creation of Chinese paintings reflect the ancients' understanding of nature, society and the politics, philosophy, religion, morality, literature and art associated with them.