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A dictionary of design styles, written from the works themselves.

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Jangarh Kalam

ジャンガル・カラム / 1980s– / Style / Popular Painting

A contemporary lineage growing from Jangarh Singh Shyam's practice and other Pardhan artists in central India. Large animal, plant and mythic forms carry flowing patterns of dots and short strokes. It is a particular modern artistic development, with distinct makers and new media, rather than a name for all historic Gond mural painting.

Large organic contours subdivided by repeated marks / Dots, short lines and curves flowing along bodies and branches / Mythic narratives connected with familiar living forms / Movement within both coloured paintings and pen drawings

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746

Odisha Pattachitra — Deities enshrined in the Jagannath Temple, 19th century — unknown artist / Wellcome Collection — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Odisha Pattachitra

オディシャのパタチトラ / premodern–present / Style / Popular Painting

Odisha's cloth-painting tradition associated with the Jagannath Temple at Puri. Flat colour, fine contours, elongated eyes and ornamental borders organise deities and narrative scenes. The border is part of the image's structure. Its temple and pilgrimage context distinguishes this entry from Bengal's narrative-scroll traditions.

Dense borders of repeated flowers and curved forms / Profile figures with long tapering eyes / Flat red, yellow, white and black divided by fine outlines / A central deity or architectural scheme surrounded by smaller scenes

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747

Kantha — Kantha quilt, East Bengal, 19th century — LACMA, AC1994.131.1 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Kantha

カンタ刺繍 / living tradition / surviving 19th-century works / Technique / Textile Traditions

A Bengali textile tradition of layering worn cloth and joining it with running stitches and embroidery. Stitch paths create ripples and rhythms around images and geometric forms. Reused material and each maker's composition distinguish these household textiles from quilting as a general technique.

Layers of cloth joined with small running stitches / Stitch rows forming soft ripples and concentric rhythms / Coloured embroidery against a light cloth ground / Central forms, small scenes and borders composed differently in each work

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748

Phulkari — Punjab embroidered shawl — photo: Kritzolina — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Phulkari

プルカリ刺繍 / living tradition / surviving 19th-century works / Technique / Textile Traditions

Punjab's embroidery tradition joining lustrous silk with coarse cotton. Repeated geometric fields and changes in stitch direction make light move across the cloth. Its range includes densely covered bagh and figurative scenes, with strong relationships to marriage, family memory and the region across today's India–Pakistan border.

Bright silk against coarse earth-coloured cotton / Repeated geometric fields in yellow or pink / Changes of thread direction altering reflected light / Coverage ranging from scattered motifs to dense bagh

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749

Chikankari — Chikan embroidery, front, Lucknow — photo: Joey Berzowska — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0

Chikankari

チカンカリ刺繍 / living tradition / Technique / Textile Traditions

Embroidery associated especially with Lucknow, using fine white stitches on delicate cloth. Flat work, raised stitches and open jaali areas make flowers legible through light and shadow. It is a regional repertoire and collaborative practice, rather than a name for all white embroidery.

White flowers and stems on fine cotton / Flat and raised stitches producing small shadows / Open jaali areas changing the fabric's density / Fine lines and light spacing rather than large colour fields

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750

Zardozi — Zardozi wedding outfit from Delhi, 20th century — Honolulu Museum of Art, 2016-43-01a-c; photo: Hiart — Wikimedia Commons / CC0

Zardozi

ザルドージ刺繍 / living tradition / court textiles of the 18th–19th centuries / Technique / Textile Traditions

Embroidery developed in South Asian courtly and ceremonial textiles, securing metal-wrapped threads and other metallic elements to cloth. Relief and reflection strengthen the ornament's outline. Modern imitation metal belongs in its material history; gold-coloured printing is a different process.

Metal threads and components raised above cloth / Reflective lines contrasting with darker grounds / Dense floral borders alongside quieter fields / Different reflections from securing thread and metal

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Shisha Embroidery — Shisha mirror and holding stitches — Schazjmd — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Shisha Embroidery

シーシャ（鏡刺繍） / living tradition / Technique / Textile Traditions

A method of securing small mirrors within embroidery, familiar in cloth from Kutch, Sindh and other regions. Thread around each mirror combines holding and decoration, while movement changes the reflected light. This entry covers mirror insertion rather than the entirety of a region's embroidery.

Small mirrors distributed through an embroidered field / Thread forming rings or radiating frames around mirrors / Opaque coloured stitching alternating with reflection / Changing highlights as cloth or viewer moves

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Kasuti — Kasuti embroidered ravike, Dharwar, 1855–79 — V&A; photo: Kannadiga — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Kasuti

カスティ刺繍 / living tradition / Technique / Textile Traditions

Counted-thread embroidery from Karnataka, constructing geometric flowers, birds and architectural forms from short and stepped lines. Gavanti, Murgi, Negi and Menthi have distinct roles. Its relationship to cloth structure and returning stitch paths distinguishes it from generic cross-stitch.

Short horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines following cloth structure / Stepped outlines and small geometric forms / Visible ground between separate coloured motifs / Returning line stitches distinguished from filled areas

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753

Kalamkari — Kalamkari Rumal, ca. 1640–50 — Metropolitan Museum of Art — Wikimedia Commons / CC0

Kalamkari

カラムカリ / surviving early modern textiles–present / Technique / Textile Traditions

A South Indian tradition of drawing and colouring cloth through mordants and resists. Hand-drawn narratives and block-printed ornament are different branches, often sharing outlined forms and flat colour. Retain distinctions between centres such as Srikalahasti and Machilipatnam rather than using the name for any floral fabric.

Dark outlines separating figures, plants and scenes / Red or indigo fields beside areas of retained cloth colour / Borders enclosing narrative sections or floral repeats / Pen lines and block repetition varying by place and work

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754

Ajrakh — Ajrak cloth, Sindh — photo: Ahub1988 — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Ajrakh

アジュラク型染め / living tradition / Technique / Textile Traditions

A textile tradition associated with Sindh and Kachchh, building patterns through wooden blocks, resists and successive dyeing. Indigo, red, white and black commonly support small geometric repeats within distinct borders. Place and the maker's process matter; a blue geometric print alone is insufficient.

Indigo and red beside white reserves and dark outlines / Small star or floral units forming a continuous grid / Multiple border bands around a repeated central field / Registration and colour layers assembling the pattern

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Bandhani — Bandhani dupatta — photo: RubyGoes — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0

Bandhani

バンダニ絞り染め / living tradition / Technique / Textile Traditions

A tie-resist tradition of Gujarat, Rajasthan and other regions, binding tiny areas of cloth before dyeing. Pale dots and rings gather into lines, circles and larger fields, sometimes retaining a puckered surface. Regional use and dress context distinguish it from generic tie-dye and printed imitation.

Small pale dots or rings repeated on stronger ground colours / Dots grouped into rows, circles or diamond forms / Possible small folds or relief at tied points / Different dot arrangements in the centre and border

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756

Thanjavur Painting — Royal Procession with Raja Amar Singh, ca. 1790 — LACMA, M.90.141.5 (court painting) — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Thanjavur Painting

タンジャーヴール絵画 / 17th century–present / Style / Persian and Indian Painting

Painting developed around Thanjavur, also known as Tanjore, in Tamil Nadu. Devotional works often centre a dominant icon with vivid colour, raised ornament, gilding and stones. Court portraits and processions on paper are another branch; their materials and compositions should not be reduced to the devotional-panel model.

A dominant central figure in devotional images / Strong red, green or blue grounds contrasting with gold / Raised decoration or stones catching light / Frontal icons distinguished from court portraits and processions

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757

Yamato-e — Unidentified artist, The Tale of Genji Illustrated Scroll, Azumaya, 12th century — Tokugawa Art Museum — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Yamato-e

やまと絵 / Heian period onward / Style / East Asian Painting

A Japanese painting tradition concerned with stories, local scenery and the seasons, developed from the Heian period. Colour fields, cloud bands and roofless views organise narrative space. It extends across scrolls, screens and doors; its scope differs from Rinpa, ukiyo-e and modern Nihonga.

Scenes tied to literature, places and seasons / Colour fields and clouds divide space / Roofs removed to reveal interiors from above / Figures and buildings carry narrative time

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758

Kanō School — Kanō Sansetsu, Old Plum, 1646 — Metropolitan Museum of Art — Wikimedia Commons / CC0

Kanō School

狩野派 / 15th century–modern era / Style / East Asian Painting

A lineage of Japanese professional painters organised through Kanō family studios and pupils. Strong ink drawing combines Chinese subjects with Japanese colour and decoration, often across screens and sliding doors. Its range includes monumental Momoyama gold grounds and quieter Edo ink painting; gold screens alone do not identify it.

Ink lines with varied weight support trees and figures / Large compositions cross screen or door divisions / Some works combine gold, colour and ink outlines / The balance of oversized subjects and open space changes over time

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759

Nanga / Bunjinga — Ike Taiga, Landscapes in Summer and Winter (one of a pair), 18th century — Metropolitan Museum of Art — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Nanga / Bunjinga

南画・文人画（日本） / 18th–19th centuries / Style / East Asian Painting

An Edo-period Japanese movement developed through Chinese literati paintings, manuals and poetry. Mountains, flowers and writing are composed through layered strokes, dots and open space. Its practitioners had varied social backgrounds; the name does not mean painting from southern Japan, and its Japanese reception distinguishes it from the broader Chinese literati tradition.

Mountains and trees built from strokes, dots and washes / Poetry and painting share a surface / Imagined and observed landscapes interact / Individual brush rhythms in flowers and landscapes

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Maruyama–Shijō Painting — Maruyama Ōkyo, White Herons, 1769 — Metropolitan Museum of Art — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Maruyama–Shijō Painting

円山・四条派 / late 18th–19th centuries / Style / East Asian Painting

A Kyoto painting lineage associated with Maruyama Ōkyo, Matsumura Goshun and their followers. Observation from life meets economical brushwork to make birds, plants, animals and figures clear. Ōkyo's observational emphasis and the Shijō school's lyrical softness differ; this is not a label for every realistic Japanese painting.

Observed forms and poses of birds, plants and animals / Clear groupings of fine contours and light colour / Open space around subjects and abbreviated backgrounds / Specific observation combined with soft brush economy

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761

Gongbi — Attributed to Huang Quan, Sketches of Rare Birds — Palace Museum, Beijing — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Gongbi

工筆画 / historical Chinese painting–present / Technique / East Asian Painting

A Chinese painting method that articulates forms through controlled fine outlines and carefully layered colour. Details of birds, plants and figures remain distinct, with clear roles for line and colour. It is not confined to one dynasty or subject and can coexist with freer or unoutlined methods in a single painting.

Fine controlled contours / Distinct details of feathers, leaves or clothing / Gentle layers of colour within outlines / Detailed subjects against a quieter ground

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762

Xieyi — Xu Wei, Grapes, Ming dynasty — Palace Museum, Beijing — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Xieyi

写意画 / historical Chinese painting–present / Technique / East Asian Painting

A Chinese painting method that conveys a subject through expressive strokes, ink values and open space rather than enclosing every detail. Lines related to calligraphy and a few painted masses can suggest flowers or birds. It is more than quick sketching, differs from ink painting as a whole, and can be combined with gongbi.

Lines and masses reveal brush speed and pressure / Dark ink, pale washes and spreading edges / Abbreviated details still convey a subject's pose / Tension among writing, subject and open space

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Blue-and-Green Landscape — Wang Ximeng, A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, 1113 (detail) — Palace Museum, Beijing — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Blue-and-Green Landscape

青緑山水 / Tang tradition onward / Style / East Asian Painting

A Chinese landscape tradition using blue and green pigments on mountains and rocks, coordinated with outlines, ink texture and colour layers. Linked to Tang precedents and later reinterpretations, it is not simply a blue-green palette. Works differ in where colour is placed and how it interacts with the ink beneath.

Blue and green layers on peaks and rocks / Contours, colour and underlying ink create volume / Clouds, water and paths separate groups of mountains / Small buildings or figures contrast with large peaks

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764

Jiehua / Ruled-Line Painting — Li Rongjin, A Han Dynasty Palace, Yuan dynasty — National Palace Museum, Taipei — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Jiehua / Ruled-Line Painting

界画 / historical Chinese painting; flourishing in the Yuan dynasty / Technique / East Asian Painting

A Chinese painting method using rulers or other guides to render structures such as palaces, pavilions and boats in precise lines. Repeated roofs, columns and rails contrast with freer trees and rocks. Specialists flourished in the Yuan dynasty; the method differs from architectural pictures generally and from single-point perspective drawings.

Even straight architectural lines / Repeated roofs, columns and balustrades / Buildings shown through coordinated multiple views / Controlled structure contrasts with freer natural forms

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Wu School — Shen Zhou, Lofty Mount Lu, 1467 — National Palace Museum, Taipei — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Wu School

呉派・呉門画派 / Ming dynasty, 15th–16th centuries / Style / East Asian Painting

A Ming painting lineage centred on Suzhou, where Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming and others reworked Yuan literati precedents. Calligraphic brushwork, gardens, landscapes and poetry shape its pictures, with considerable differences between bold and meticulous artists. It is narrower than literati painting generally and not defined by a place name alone.

Calligraphic lines, dots and textures build landscapes / Gardens and places connect to literary subjects / Painting, poetry and writing are read together / A range from bold ink masses to meticulous brushwork

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Zhe School — Attributed to Dai Jin, Landscape with Daoist Immortals Playing Weiqi, 15th–16th century — Art Institute of Chicago — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Zhe School

浙派 / Ming dynasty, 15th–16th centuries / Style / East Asian Painting

A Ming painting lineage associated with Dai Jin, Wu Wei and others who reinterpreted Southern Song court models. Large landscapes and narratives unfold through strong ink masses and energetic lines. It was not a fixed studio limited to Zhejiang; artists and influence ranged widely, and some paintings combine its approach with Wu-school conventions.

Large landscapes reinterpret Southern Song models / Strong ink masses and energetic lines / Figures, mountains and paths connect a narrative / Bold forms and swift strokes organise light and dark

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Drypoint — Rembrandt van Rijn, Christ Presented to the People, 1655, drypoint, state II/VIII — Saint Louis Art Museum — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Drypoint

ドライポイント / 15th century–present / Technique / Intaglio Printing

An intaglio method that scratches the plate directly. Ink held by the groove and its raised burr gives the line a soft fringe, ranging from dense black to a faint trace. Unlike etched lines, these marks need no acid; the burr wears during printing, so impressions can differ.

Small irregularities in scratched lines / Soft fringes from the raised burr / Dense black beside faint marks / Line character changes between impressions

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Aquatint — Francisco de Goya, Los Caprichos, plate 7, Ni así la distingue, 1799 — etching and aquatint — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Aquatint

アクアチント / 18th century–present / Technique / Intaglio Printing

An intaglio technique that builds tone through small ink-holding recesses etched around a granular resist. Grainy greys and dark fields work alongside drawn lines. Its wash-like effects differ from watercolor itself and from the mechanically roughened plate of mezzotint.

Tonal fields made of fine grain / Lines and areas share the shading / Distinct depths or stages of tone / Paper white against dark ink fields

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Editorial policy

IndexStyle is not a list of every term used around design. An independent entry must describe a visual language that can be recognised, reproduced and distinguished from its neighbours. Editorial standard

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