The Aesthetic Character of Chinese Rock Art

Among the components of Chinese rock art, line is the most universal. The producing techniques of Chinese rock art can be divided into chiseling, rubbing, scratching and painting, which show the effects of both drawing and relieve. The shapes of Chinese rock art include beeline and curve, with the later including variables of rotundity such as arc, and ripple, snaky, etc. Rock art line has two types, i.e., real line and broken line. Chinese rock art arranges its lines according to the principles of symmetry, equilibrium and repetition. Compared with foreign rock arts, Chinese rock arts are plain, regular, and strenuous. Those features demonstrate the aesthetic ideas of the ancient Chinese who valued straightforwardness, simplicity and uniformity.