There are three characteristics of traditional Western painting: classical and anti-classical, and emphasis on description.
Classical interest in favor of rationality, in the form of features especially in the emphasis on sketching and contempt for color, anti-classical is keen and emotional, it is not like the pursuit of classicism as solemnity, silence, simplicity, and harmony of the classical meaning, but rather to emphasize the spirit of freedom, indulgence, and opulence and grandeur.
Another characteristic of traditional Western painting is its emphasis on description. It has long been the task of painters to effectively represent stories and legends, to depict specific episodes in order to convey some kind of moral or symbol. This descriptiveness is also well reflected in Jan van Eyck's Portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Arnolfini.
Expanded Information
The difference between Western and modern painting is also reflected in the different attitudes towards what is called reproduction. For traditional painting, reproduction is fundamental, and can be said to be the basic goal of traditional Western painting.
Chinese painting, also known as guo hua, is a modern generalization of traditional Chinese painting to distinguish it from Western painting. It includes ink painting, ink-brush painting, colored ink painting, brush and heavy color painting, and white painting. Modern Chinese painting has developed in a cultural environment that has introduced Western art trends over the past hundred years, and has seen the emergence of many schools, propositions, and new explorations, with many famous artists, occupying an important position in the painting world.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Western Painting