Chinese Painting in 3D: An Artistic Study of the Use of the Traditional Chinese Painting Aesthetic in Three-Dimensional Computer Graphics

Abstract

This thesis presents a study of both traditional Chinese painting and threedimensional (3D) digital non-photorealistic shading techniques, the results of which are used to create a short animation illustrating an environment that maintains the aesthetic of a Chinese painting while exploring a two-dimensional art style in a new way through camera movement and parallax. Traditional Chinese painting uses alternative methods to communicate depth, such as value range, water-to-ink ratio and vertical placement of objects. In contrast, perspective and parallax are native characteristics of 3D digital technology and are easily generated using a virtual camera. When combining these two mediums to inject linear perspective into the Chinese painting style, it is equally important to maintain the integrity of the aesthetic by adhering to the stylistic and compositional rules throughout the animation. As a result, the final project may be paused at many key frames and appear to follow these rules closely. This study also describes the methodology of translating the Chinese painting aesthetic into a 3D digital medium, which can also be used in the interpretation of other traditional art styles.