East Asian Painting
All rest on shared materials of ink, glue and paper or silk, and all prize empty space and the movement of the brush, whether made in a workshop or by a scholar.
Dictionary entry
- Sumi-e Tang dynasty–present / Technique
With only ink gradations and emptiness, keeps a subject's presence, speed and distance rather than its shape.
- Rinpa early 17th century– / Style
Gold and silver grounds, mineral pigment, simplified nature, empty space, repetition and tarashikomi run across its work, pulling painting, craft and calligraphy into one bold, flat composition.
- Nihonga 1880s– / Style
A modern framework that redefined Japanese painting from the side of its materials, mineral pigment, animal glue, washi and silk, in response to the influx of Western painting. Its character is a compromise led by material, keeping traditional technique while modernizing subject and composition.
- Literati Painting 11th century– / Style
Painting made by scholar officials rather than professional painters, not to sell but to show their own spirit. It valued the spirit of the brush above skill and treated poetry, calligraphy, painting and seal as equals on one sheet. At the core of the style is a refusal to fear looking unskilled.