Nihonga
日本画 / 1880s– / Style / East Asian Painting
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.
The grain and color of mineral pigment / Layers built up with animal glue / The white of the silk or paper ground / Contour line and flatness preserved
Dictionary entry
- Best used for
- Showing the physical presence of the material as strongly as the subject · Handling modern composition with traditional materials
- Type
- Let the relation between the seal and the void set the center of gravity.
- Composition
- Leave the void generous and push the subject to one side.
- Material
- Choose the grain size of the mineral pigment and build layers with glue.
- Caution
- Do not confuse it with Japanese styling. The substance of this framework is the choice of material and technique.
- Further study
- The roles of Fenollosa and Okakura Tenshin / The definition of the medium as mineral pigment and glue / Its formation as the counter concept to yōga