The Classification System of Painting Divisions and Painting Subjects

This paper is a survey of the systematization and classification of painting divisions(畵門huamen) and painting subjects(畵題huati) from the Northern and Southern Dynasties period to the Song Dynasty period. Painting subjects are titles of works named according to their topic or theme, and painting divisions are kinds of painting subjects sorted by category, such as figure, landscape, and bird-and-flower paintings. Painting divisions, which group the same painting subjects into separate divisions, are also referred to as ‘painting departments’(畵科huake), since they serve the same role as academic departments with respect to paintings. The East Asian painting tradition used such painting divisions to promote the expertise of painters and to evaluate their abilities and used painting subjects to follow the classic works and to propagate and extend them. The intention behind the work, as well as the physical materials used, how the painting is mounted, painting style and criticism, the artist