First, there are great differences between Chinese painting and oil painting in painting materials. The tool materials of Chinese painting are brush, ink, watercolor, rice paper or silk cloth; The tool material of oil painting is pigment, canvas or sketchpad, wall painting, which is composed of brush strokes, scraper and easy-to-dry vegetable oil.
Second, there are great differences between Chinese painting and oil painting in painting techniques. Because of the different painting tools and materials, Chinese painting and oil painting are different in painting techniques and expression techniques. Chinese painting embodies the brushwork of "painting and calligraphy are of the same origin" and attaches importance to the use of lines; Oil painting embodies modeling science and pays attention to color rendering. Chinese painting is the art of pen and ink and lines, while oil painting is the art of modeling and color.
Third, Chinese painting and oil painting have great differences in painting concepts. Chinese painting pays attention to "freehand brushwork". Through brushwork, the use of lines and the treatment of "blank space", it creates a grand, vast and mysterious artistic conception, or flows in mountains and rivers, giving people an artistic feeling of being relaxed and happy, contemplating and daydreaming. Oil painting pays attention to "realism", with rigorous and accurate modeling and full use of colors, which truly reproduces the true face of objective images and gives people an intuitive and concrete artistic feeling.
Fourth, in terms of painting themes, Chinese paintings "Taoism is natural", mostly taking natural landscapes, flowers, birds, fish and insects as themes to express the scenery of nature; Oil painting takes "humanism" as the main theme, and draws more materials from religious and social secular figures, showing the image style, humanity and desire of people in reality.
Any art has its social foundation and cultural background. There are many differences between Chinese painting and oil painting in painting materials, painting techniques, painting concepts and painting themes, and the fundamental reason lies in the differences between Chinese and western cultures. Culture is the root of art, and art is the expression of culture.
A prominent feature of China culture is reserved. Chinese painting produced in this cultural background has established the concept of freehand brushwork from the very beginning, achieved the artistic effect of highlighting the artistic conception between "likeness" and "likeness", and displayed the connotation and characteristics of China culture in the fusion of poetry, calligraphy and painting.
An outstanding feature of western culture is openness and publicity. The oil painting produced in this cultural background has established a "realistic" painting concept from the beginning, focusing on depicting and expressing people, and truly reappearing people's true face and desires with rigorous modeling, so as to publicize western culture and humanistic thoughts.
In my opinion, although Chinese painting and oil painting are different in form and content, they all have their own characteristics, characteristics, advantages and strengths, and there is no distinction between high and low. Both of them are the crystallization of human civilization and wisdom, and they are two flowers in the world painting art, one for each. Chinese painting and oil painting bring people visual and spiritual pleasure, edification, enlightenment and aesthetic enjoyment with their unique artistic charm.