在早期的皇權(quán)時(shí)代,書法和繪畫是上層社會最為尊崇的藝術(shù),大部分是由業(yè)余愛好者創(chuàng)作的,這些業(yè)余愛好者通常是有充足的閑暇時(shí)間對畫法進(jìn)行技術(shù)完善和鑒賞的貴族和士大夫。書法被認(rèn)為是最高等、最純潔的繪畫形式。晉朝時(shí),人們開始欣賞繪畫的美麗,開始寫關(guān)于藝術(shù)的東西。從這個(gè)時(shí)候開始,個(gè)人藝術(shù)家,如顧愷之開始出現(xiàn)。
In early imperial times, calligraphy and painting in China were the most highly appreciated arts in court circles and were produced almost exclusively by amateurs, usually aristocrats and scholar-officials, who had the leisure time necessary to perfect the technique and sensibility necessary for great brushwork. Calligraphy was thought to be the highest and purest form of painting. During the Jin Dynasty, people began to appreciate painting for its own beauty and to write about art. From this time individual artists, such as Gu Kaizhi, started to emerge.