Table 1 Comparison of the artistic styles of Guangzhou export paintings and traditional murals
Types | Characterstics | Pictures | |
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Exported Paintings | Convergence of character images. The standardized mode of production leads to the homogenization of character images and expressions, showing a commercialized and popular aesthetics |
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The richness of the painting colors. To meet the demands of the Western market, the artist has adopted a wider range of colors, moving from traditional Chinese orthochromatic colors to Western-style intertone and mixed colors |
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Diversity of painting themes. No longer dominated by courtly themes, more simple themes of local life were depicted, catering to the Western curiosity about Chinese culture |
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Murals | Characters have a large proportion in the painting to highlight the story of the characters, while the landscape and other elements of the painting mainly serve as a backdrop |
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The painting colors are dominated by orthochromatic colors (solid colors that are not coordinated), and there is a lack of coordination of color transitions from element to element |
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The thematic content is mainly divided into two categories: character scenes and landscapes, while the content description is abstract and partially exaggerated, expressing more allegorical and cultural symbols |
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