Painting has existed as an artistic tradition for thousand of years. From the cave painting of Lascaux to the great, masterpieces of Da Vinci it has played a historical and aesthetic role in the different ages of existence. Schools of painting were developed as well as many various texts discussing the art form. Several styles of painting have come into being. Historical, allegorical, religious, portraiture, landscape and still life are all different forms of painting that have developed over the years. ⑵Warming up by talking about Chinese painting

Before we read about the western painting let's talk a bit about Chinese painting. How much do you know about Chinese painting? Have you ever seen any famous Chinese paintings?

You may use words like Chinese Paint, Wall paintings, the hanging scroll, aesthetic values and tastes to express your views.

Chinese Paint is very famous in the world. We know from textual and archaeological sources that painting was practiced in China from very early times and in a variety of media.

　　Wall paintings were produced in great numbers in the early period of China's history, but because so little early architecture in China remained intact over the centuries, few of these large-scale paintings have survived.

　　Paintings were also often done on screens, which served in a sense as portable walls, but these too have not survived.

　　From the Song dynasty onwards, paintings in a variety of other more portable formats, such as the hanging scroll and the handscroll, were collected and passed on to later generations in significant quantities.

　　In their details of everyday life and social customs, these paintings often provide information unavailable from written texts.

　　Many paintings are especially interesting to historians because they can help us imagine what life looked like in earlier periods.

　　Furthermore, because paintings of this period have come to be viewed as one of the highest cultural achievements in China's history, they provide valuable insight into aesthetic values and tastes that would have lasting impact on later artists and connoisseurs.