·Color — The Language of Oil Painting from Life
Centreed on figure painting from life, it connects horizontally with foundational drawing instruction and vertically advances students’ professional creative capabilities, bridging basic training and professional creation. It places colour at the heart of oil painting from life, using flexible project-based assignments to guide students toward discovering their own colour sensibilities in practice. Upholding the expressive freehand spirit of traditional Chinese painting, the course emphasises focused visual perception, expressive power of color language and the integrated ability to synthesise form and hue. It highlights the independent aesthetic value of color and the calligraphic quality of brushwork, embodying the distinctive linguistic identity of oil painting.
Level: Undergraduate
Course Link: https://gmjk.caa.edu.cn/detail/JK06
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·Comprehensive Structures
Chinese Watermark Printmaking
This course focuses on tradition and contemporaneity, theory and hands-on practice, building a multi-dimensional curriculum that combines profound traditional heritage with sharp contemporary relevance—and a sharp, critical edge. The course is developed across four core modules: History—tracing the evolution of watermark printmaking to consolidate theoretical foundations, Appreciation—examining masterpieces from past and present to refine aesthetic sensibility and taste, Craft—explaining the traditional short-block watermark printing process to carry forward China's fine artistic heritage, and Creation—developing a refined command of the language of watermark printmaking to foster independent artistic creation.
Level: Undergraduate
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·An Analytical Study of Theories and Techniques of Traditional Chinese Murals
As a core mandatory course for the Mural Painting Department of the School of Painting, this course carries important academic value and real-world relevance. It sorts out the developmental trajectory of figurative forms, craftsmanship and thematic content in ancient murals across different periods, defines distinctive formative characteristics of each historical period from a literary-historical perspective, and forms a systematic teaching framework. The course follows a progressive structure—Material Fundamentals, Media & Technical Approaches, Life Sketching & Creation—through which students engage in copying practice, case analysis and academic writing to compare technical disparities between ancient and modern murals. It consolidates students’ foundational command of traditional painting, inspires original creative thinking, and forms an integral part of the core Oriental mural teaching system. The course nurtures versatile fine arts talent with humanistic insight, critical thinking, and creativity.
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·Decoding Watercolor Painting
Carrying forward the longstanding teaching tradition of China Academy of Art, this course draws on decades of teaching experience and expertise from Course Leader Professor Zhou Gang and his teaching team. It extends from the history and evolution of watercolor, aesthetic training and professional technical training to artistic philosophy and creative practice, systematically presenting the full trajectory of watercolor's emergence, development and stylistic shifts. Students gain systematic mastery of watercolor techniques ranging from foundational to advanced levels, laying a robust foundation for subsequent specialised training and independent artistic creation.
Level: Undergraduate
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