The Chinese brush is such an important part of China’s culture that the beauty of a painting is primarily dependent on the quality of the brush strokes. This is counter intuitive to many as often the likeness of an image or the use of color is the primary focus. The Impressionists and Abstract Expressionists experimented with the brush marks in powerful ways, reflecting the ancient Chinese tradition. Chinese brush strokes have categories such as blood, bone, flesh, and muscle, and a person’s personality can be seen within the strokes.