Burning Incense as an Offering
"Master" Li
Sung Dynasty (960 - 1279)

Dragon Boat Regatta (detail)
Wang Chen-p'eng (1275 - 1328)
Yuan Dynasty

The Beauty of Traditional Chinese Architiecture in Painting
Galleries 202, 212
2000/1/1 - 2000/3/26

The depiction of traditional architecture in painting has a long history in China, that dates back at least as far as the writings of Ku K'ar-chih (ca. 344 - 406).  The primary technique used to render architecture in painting was known as " ruled-line painting," in which a ruler was used as a tool to guide  the brush.  The use of the ruler allowed painters to produce exact, parallel lines, which in turn made it possible to render the specific dimensions of individual structures.

"Ruled-line painting" experienced its heyday in the 109th century, during the Five Dynasties and early Sung.  In the Yuan  dynasty, with the rise of scholar painting and the increasing emphasis placed on painting as a means of personal expression, the exactness and realism of "ruled-line painting" gradually declined in popularity.  Although it never regained its former  status, it did experience a resurgence in the works of some early Ch'ing court painters, who were influenced by Western techniques of painting composition and architectural drawing.