Gongbi is one of the traditional Chinese painting techniques, literally translated as “fine brush” style, which emphasizes neatness and delicacy. The depiction of objects in gongbi paintings requires careful handling and precision. During the Jin and Tang dynasties, the development of gongbi painting reached a mature stage. Today, artists not only inherit traditional gongbi production methods but also explore a variety of subjects and combine different techniques to create innovative works.

The course mainly focuses on two core techniques of gongbi: (1) Linear expression; and (2) Dyeing refinement. Linear expression includes the skills of baimiao (白描), which can also be considered an independent genre within Chinese art. A key focus in this section will be the set of expressions known as shiba miao (十八描). In the second part, students will practice two main dyeing techniques with ink and color, including parting dyeing (分染) and overdyeing (罩染), exploring complex refinements that result from combining these techniques. Through these two components, students will be well-equipped to further explore this painting style.