Monochrome painting of Japan is one of the unique phenomena of the art of the East. A lot of works and studies are devoted to it, but it is often perceived as a very conditional thing, and sometimes even decorative. This is not so. The spiritual world of the Japanese artist is very rich, and he cares not so much about the aesthetic component, but about the spiritual one. Art of the East is a synthesis of external and internal, explicit and implicit.
In this post, I would like to pay attention not to the history of monochrome painting, but to its essence. This will be discussed.
Screen "Pine" Hasegawa Tohaku, 1593.
What we see in monochrome paintings is the result of the artist's interaction with the pine triad: paper, brush, ink. Therefore, in order to properly understand the work, one must understand the artist himself and his attitude.
"Landscape" Sesshu, 1398
Paper for the Japanese master, it’s not just the material at hand, which he subordinates to his whim, but rather, on the contrary, it is a “brother”, therefore, the attitude towards it has developed accordingly. Paper is a part of the surrounding nature, which the Japanese have always treated with reverence and tried not to subjugate, but to coexist peacefully with it. Paper is in the past a tree that stood in a certain area, for a certain time, “saw” something around it, and it stores it all. This is how the Japanese artist perceives the material. Often, before starting work, the masters looked at a blank sheet for a long time (contemplated it) and only then proceeded to painting. Even today, contemporary Japanese artists who practice Nihon-ga (traditional Japanese painting) carefully choose their paper. They buy it on order from paper mills. For each artist of a certain thickness, moisture permeability and texture (many artists even enter into an agreement with the factory owner not to sell this paper to other artists) - therefore, each painting is perceived as something unique and alive.
"Reading in a bamboo grove" Shubun, 1446.
Speaking about the significance of this material, it is worth mentioning such well-known literary monuments of Japan as “Notes at the Headboard” by Sei Shyonagon and “Genji Monogotari” by Murasaki Shikibu: in both “Notes” and “Genji” one can find plots when courtiers or lovers exchange messages . The paper on which these messages were written was of the appropriate season, shade, and the manner of writing the text corresponded to its texture.
"Murasaki Shikibu at Ishiyama Shrine" Kyosen
Brush- the second component is the continuation of the master's hand (again, this is a natural material). Therefore, brushes were also made to order, but most often by the artist himself. He selected the hairs of the required length, chose the size of the brush and the most comfortable handle. The master writes only with his own brush and no other. (From personal experience: I was at the master class of the Chinese artist Jiang Shilun, the audience was asked to show what his students who were present at the master class can do, and each of them, picking up the master’s brush, said that it would turn out not what they expected , since the brush is not theirs, they are not used to it and do not know how to use it correctly).
"Fuji" ink sketch by Katsushika Hokusai
ink is the third important element. Mascara can be of different types: it can give a glossy or matte effect after drying, it can be mixed with silver or ocher shades, so the right choice of mascara is also not unimportant.
Yamamoto Baitsu, late 18th - 19th century.
The main subjects of monochrome painting are landscapes. Why don't they have color?
Twin screen "Pines", Hasegawa Tohaku
Firstly, the Japanese artist is not interested in the object itself, but in its essence, a certain component that is common to all living things and leads to harmony between man and nature. Therefore, the image is always a hint, it is addressed to our feelings, and not to vision. Understatement is a stimulus for dialogue, and hence connection. Lines and spots are important in the image - they form an artistic language. This is not the liberty of the master, who, where he wanted, left a greasy mark there, and in another place, on the contrary, did not draw well - in the picture everything has its own meaning and significance, and does not carry a random character.
Secondly, color always carries some kind of emotional connotation and is perceived differently by different people in different states, so emotional neutrality allows the viewer to most adequately enter into a dialogue, position him for perception, contemplation, thought.
Thirdly, this is the interaction of yin and yang, any monochrome picture is harmonious in terms of the ratio of ink and the untouched area of paper in it.
Why is most of the paper space not used?
"Landscape" Syubun, middle of the 15th century.
First, the vacancy of space immerses the viewer in the image; secondly, the image is created as if it floated to the surface for a moment and is about to disappear - this is connected with the worldview and worldview; thirdly, in those areas where there is no ink, the texture and shade of paper come to the fore (this is not always visible on reproductions, but in reality it is always the interaction of two materials - paper and ink).
Sesshu, 1446
Why landscape?
"Contemplation of the Waterfall" Gayami, 1478
According to the Japanese worldview, nature is more perfect than man, so he must learn from her, protect her in every possible way, and not destroy or subjugate. Therefore, in many landscapes you can see small images of people, but they are always insignificant, small in relation to the landscape itself, or images of huts that fit into the space around them and are not even always noticeable - these are all symbols of the worldview.
"Seasons: Autumn and Winter" Sesshu. "Landscape" Sesshu, 1481
In conclusion, I want to say that Japanese monochrome painting is not randomly splashed ink, it is not a whim of the artist's inner ego - it is a whole system of images and symbols, it is a repository of philosophical thought, and most importantly, a way of communication and harmonization of oneself and the world around.
Here, I think, are the answers to the main questions that the viewer has when confronted with monochrome Japanese painting. I hope they will help you to understand it most correctly and perceive it when you meet.
Has a very rich history; its tradition is extensive, with Japan's unique position in the world largely influencing the dominant styles and techniques of Japanese artists. The well-known fact that Japan has been quite isolated for centuries is due not only to geography, but also to the dominant Japanese cultural propensity for isolation that has marked the country's history. During the centuries of what we might call "Japanese civilization", culture and art developed separately from those in the rest of the world. And this is even noticeable in the practice of Japanese painting. For example, the Nihonga paintings are among the staples of Japanese painting practice. It is based on over a thousand years of tradition, and the paintings are usually created with brushes on your (Japanese paper) or egina (silk).
However, Japanese art and painting have been influenced by foreign artistic practices. First, it was Chinese art in the 16th century and Chinese painting and the Chinese art tradition that was particularly influential in several ways. As of the 17th century, Japanese painting was also influenced by Western traditions. In particular, during the pre-war period, which lasted from 1868 to 1945, Japanese painting was influenced by Impressionism and European Romanticism. At the same time, new European art movements were also significantly influenced by Japanese art techniques. In art history, this influence is referred to as "Japanism", and it is especially significant for the Impressionists, Cubists and artists associated with modernism.
The long history of Japanese painting can be seen as a synthesis of several traditions that create parts of a recognized Japanese aesthetic. First of all, Buddhist art and painting methods, as well as religious painting, have left a significant mark on the aesthetics of Japanese paintings; water-ink painting of landscapes in the tradition of Chinese literary painting is another important element recognized in many famous Japanese paintings; painting of animals and plants, especially birds and flowers, is something that is commonly associated with Japanese compositions, as are landscapes and scenes from everyday life. Finally, ancient ideas about beauty from the philosophy and culture of ancient Japan had a great influence on Japanese painting. Wabi, which means transient and harsh beauty, sabi (the beauty of natural patina and aging) and yugen (deep grace and subtlety) still influence the ideals in the practice of Japanese painting.
Finally, if we focus on choosing the ten most famous Japanese masterpieces, we must mention ukiyo-e, which is one of the most popular genres of art in Japan, even though it belongs to printmaking. It dominated Japanese art from the 17th to 19th century, with artists belonging to this genre producing woodcuts and paintings of such subjects as beautiful girls, kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers, as well as scenes from history and folk tales, travel scenes and landscapes, flora and fauna and even erotica.
It is always difficult to make a list of the best paintings from artistic traditions. Many amazing works will be excluded; however, this list features ten of the most recognizable Japanese paintings in the world. This article will present only paintings created from the 19th century to the present day.
Japanese painting has an extremely rich history. Over the centuries, Japanese artists have developed a large number of unique techniques and styles that are Japan's most valuable contribution to the art world. One of these techniques is sumi-e. Sumi-e literally means "ink drawing", combining calligraphy and ink painting to create a rare beauty of brush-painted compositions. This beauty is paradoxical - ancient yet modern, simple yet complex, bold yet subdued, undoubtedly reflecting the spiritual basis of art in Zen Buddhism. Buddhist priests brought the hard ink block and the bamboo brush to Japan from China in the sixth century, and over the past 14 centuries, Japan has developed a rich heritage of ink painting.
Scroll down and see 10 Japanese Painting Masterpieces
1. Katsushika Hokusai "Dream of the Fisherman's Wife"
One of the most recognizable Japanese paintings is The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife. It was painted in 1814 by the famous artist Hokusai. By strict definitions, this amazing work by Hokusai cannot be considered a painting, as it is an ukiyo-e woodcut from Young Pines (Kinoe no Komatsu), which is a three-volume shunga book. The composition depicts a young ama diver sexually entwined with a pair of octopuses. This image was highly influential in the 19th and 20th centuries. The work influenced later artists such as Felicien Rops, Auguste Rodin, Louis Ocock, Fernand Khnopf and Pablo Picasso.
2. Tessai Tomioka "Abe no Nakamaro writes a nostalgic poem while watching the moon"
Tessai Tomioka is the pseudonym of a famous Japanese artist and calligrapher. He is considered the last major artist in the Bunjing tradition and one of the first major artists of the Nihonga style. Bunjinga was a school of Japanese painting that flourished during the late Edo period among artists who considered themselves literati or intellectuals. Each of these artists, including Tessaia, developed their own style and technique, but they were all big fans of Chinese art and culture.
3. Fujishima Takeji "Sunrise over the East Sea"
Fujishima Takeji was a Japanese artist known for his work in developing Romanticism and Impressionism in the Yoga (Western style) art movement of the late 19th and early 20th century. In 1905 he traveled to France, where he was influenced by the French movements of the time, particularly Impressionism, as can be seen in his 1932 painting Sunrise over the East Sea.
4. Kitagawa Utamaro "Ten types of female faces, a collection of dominating beauties"
Kitagawa Utamaro was a prominent Japanese artist who was born in 1753 and died in 1806. He is by far best known for a series called Ten Types of Women's Faces. A collection of ruling beauties, great love themes of classical poetry" (sometimes called "Women in Love", containing separate engravings "Naked Love" and "Pensive Love"). He is one of the most significant artists belonging to the ukiyo-e woodcut genre.
5. Kawanabe Kyosai "Tiger"
Kawanabe Kyosai was one of the most famous Japanese artists of the Edo period. His art was influenced by Tohaku, a 16th-century Kano painter who was the only painter of his day to paint screens entirely in ink against a delicate background of powdered gold. Although Kyosai is known as a cartoonist, he produced some of the most famous paintings in 19th-century Japanese art history. "Tiger" is one of those paintings that Kyosai used watercolor and ink to create.
6. Hiroshi Yoshida Fuji from Lake Kawaguchi
Hiroshi Yoshida is known as one of the major figures of the shin-hanga style (shin-hanga is an art movement in Japan at the beginning of the 20th century, during the Taisho and Showa periods, which revived the traditional art of ukiyo-e, which took root in the Edo and Meiji periods (XVII - XIX centuries)). He was trained in the tradition of Western oil painting, which was adopted in Japan during the Meiji period.
7. Takashi Murakami "727"
Takashi Murakami is probably the most popular Japanese artist of our time. His work sells for astronomical prices at major auctions, and his work is already inspiring new generations of artists not only in Japan but also beyond. Murakami's art includes a range of mediums and is usually described as super-flat. His work is known for his use of color, incorporating motifs from Japanese traditional and popular culture. The content of his paintings is often described as "cute", "psychedelic", or "satirical".
8. Yayoi Kusama "Pumpkin"
Yaoi Kusama is also one of the most famous Japanese artists. She works in a variety of mediums, including painting, collage, scat sculpture, performance art, environmental art, and installation, most of which demonstrate her thematic interest in psychedelic color, repetition, and pattern. One of the most famous series of this great artist is the Pumpkin series. A polka-dotted regular gourd in bright yellow is shown against a net. Together, all such elements form a visual language that is unmistakable to the artist's style, and has been developed and refined over decades of painstaking crafting and reproduction.
9. Tenmyoya Hisashi "Japanese Spirit #14"
Tenmyoya Hisashi is a contemporary Japanese artist who is known for his neo-nihonga paintings. He participated in the revival of the old tradition of Japanese painting, which is the exact opposite of modern Japanese painting. In 2000, he also created his new style, butouha, which demonstrates a steadfast attitude towards an authoritative art system through his paintings. "Japanese Spirit No. 14" was created as part of the "BASARA" artistic scheme, interpreted in Japanese culture as the rebellious behavior of the lower aristocracy during the Warring States period, in order to deprive the authorities of the ability to achieve an ideal lifestyle by dressing in lush and luxurious clothes and acting freely. will that did not correspond to their social class.
10. Katsushika Hokusai "The Great Wave Off Kanagawa"
Finally, The Great Wave off Kanagawa is probably the most recognizable Japanese painting ever painted. This is actually the most famous piece of art created in Japan. It depicts huge waves threatening boats off the coast of Kanagawa Prefecture. Although sometimes mistaken for a tsunami, the wave, as the name of the painting suggests, most likely simply has an anomalously high height. The painting is made in the ukiyo-e tradition.
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Japanese painting is an absolutely unique direction in world art. It has existed since ancient times, but as a tradition it has not lost its popularity and ability to surprise.
Attention to traditions
The East is not only landscapes, mountains and the rising sun. These are also the people who created its history. It is these people who have maintained the tradition of Japanese painting for many centuries, developing and multiplying their art. Those who made a significant contribution to the history of Japanese artists. It is thanks to them that modern ones have retained all the canons of traditional Japanese painting.
Painting style
Unlike Europe, Japanese artists preferred to paint closer to graphics than to painting. In such paintings one cannot find the rough, careless strokes of oil that are so characteristic of the Impressionists. What is the graphic nature of such art as Japanese trees, rocks, animals and birds - everything in these pictures is drawn as clearly as possible, with firm and confident ink lines. All objects in the composition must have an outline. Filling inside the contour is usually done in watercolor. The color is washed out, other shades are added, and somewhere the color of the paper is left. Decorativeness is exactly what distinguishes Japanese paintings from the art of the whole world.
Contrasts in painting
Contrast is another characteristic technique used by Japanese artists. This may be a difference in tone, color, or a contrast of warm and cold shades.
The artist resorts to a technique when he wants to highlight some element of the subject. It can be a vein on a plant, a single petal or a tree trunk against the sky. Then the light, illuminated part of the object and the shadow under it are depicted (or vice versa).
Transitions and colors
When drawing Japanese paintings, transitions are often used. They are different: for example, from one color to another. On the petals of water lilies, peonies, you can notice the transition from a light shade to a rich, bright one of some color.
Also, transitions are used in the image of the water surface, the sky. The smooth transition from sunset to dark, deepening twilight looks very beautiful. In drawing clouds, transitions from different shades and reflections are also used.
The main motives of Japanese painting
In art, everything is interconnected with real life, with the feelings and emotions of those who are involved in it. As in literature, music and other manifestations of creativity, there are several eternal themes in painting. These are historical plots, images of people and nature.
Japanese landscapes are varied. Often in the paintings there are images of ponds - a favorite subject of the interior of the Japanese. A decorative pond, several water lilies and bamboo nearby - this is what a typical 17th-18th century painting looks like.
Animals in Japanese painting
Animals are also a recurring element in Asian painting. Traditionally, it is a crouching tiger or a domestic cat. In general, Asians are very fond of and therefore their representatives are found in all forms of oriental art.
The world of fauna is another theme followed by Japanese painting. Birds - cranes, decorative parrots, luxurious peacocks, swallows, inconspicuous sparrows and even roosters - all of them are found in the drawings of oriental masters.
Fish is an equally hot topic for Japanese artists. Koi are the Japanese version of the goldfish. These creatures live in Asia in all ponds, even small parks and gardens. Koi carp is a kind of tradition that belongs specifically to Japan. These fish symbolize struggle, determination, achieving one's goal. No wonder they are depicted as floating with the flow, always with decorative wave crests.
Japanese paintings: depiction of people
People in Japanese painting are a special theme. The artists depicted geishas, emperors, warriors and elders.
Geisha are depicted surrounded by flowers, always wearing elaborate robes with many folds and elements.
Wise men are depicted sitting or explaining something to their students. The image of an old scientist is a symbol of the history, culture and philosophy of Asia.
The warrior was portrayed as formidable, sometimes intimidating. The long ones were drawn in detail and looked like a wire.
Usually all the details of the armor are refined with ink. Often, naked warriors are decorated with tattoos depicting an oriental dragon. It is a symbol of strength and military power of Japan.
The rulers were portrayed for the imperial families. Beautiful robes, ornaments in the hair of men - that such works of art abound.
landscapes
Traditional Japanese landscape - mountains. Asian painters have succeeded in depicting a variety of landscapes: they can depict the same peak in different colors, with different atmospheres. The only thing that remains unchanged is the mandatory presence of flowers. Usually, along with the mountains, the artist depicts some kind of plant in the foreground and draws it in detail. Mountains and cherry blossoms look beautiful. And if you draw falling petals - the picture is admired by the sad beauty. The contrast in the atmosphere of the painting is another remarkable quality of Japanese culture.
Hieroglyphs
Often the composition of a picture in Japanese painting is combined with letters. Hieroglyphs are arranged so that it looks beautiful compositionally. Usually they are drawn on the left or right of the picture. Hieroglyphs can indicate what is depicted in the picture, its name or the name of the artist.
Japan is one of the richest countries in history and culture. All over the world, it is customary to consider the Japanese as pedantic people who find aesthetics in absolutely all manifestations of life. Therefore, Japanese paintings are always very harmonious in color and tone: if there are inclusions of some bright color, then only in the semantic centers. On the example of paintings by Asian artists, one can study color theory, the correct transfer of form using graphics, and composition. The technique of execution of Japanese paintings is so high that it can serve as an example for working with watercolors and performing "washing" of graphic works.
Which covers many techniques and styles. Throughout its history, it has undergone a large number of changes. New traditions and genres were added, and the original Japanese principles remained. Along with the amazing history of Japan, the painting is also ready to present many unique and interesting facts.
ancient japan
The first styles appear in the most ancient historical period of the country, even before Christ. e. Back then, art was pretty primitive. First, in 300 B.C. e., various geometric figures appeared, which were made on pottery with the help of sticks. Such a find by archaeologists as an ornament on bronze bells belongs to a later time.
A little later, already in 300 AD. e., rock paintings appear, which are much more diverse than geometric ornament. These are already full-fledged images with images. They were found inside the crypts, and probably the people who are painted on them were buried in these burial grounds.
In the 7th century A.D. e. Japan adopts the script that comes from China. Around the same time, the first paintings come from there. Then painting appears as a separate sphere of art.
edo
Edo is far from the first and not the last painting, but it was she who brought a lot of new things to the culture. Firstly, it is the brightness and brilliance that were added to the usual technique, performed in black and gray tones. Sotasu is considered the most prominent artist of this style. He created classic paintings, but his characters were very colorful. Later, he switched to nature, and most of the landscapes were done against a background of gilding.
Secondly, during the Edo period, the exotic, the namban genre, appeared. It used modern European and Chinese techniques, which were intertwined with traditional Japanese styles.
And thirdly, the Nang school appears. In it, the artists first completely imitate or even copy the works of Chinese masters. Then a new branch appears, which is called bunjing.
Modernization period
The Edo period replaces the Meiji, and now Japanese painting is forced to enter a new stage of development. At this time, genres such as the western and the like were becoming popular all over the world, so the modernization of art became a common state of affairs. However, in Japan, a country where all people revere traditions, at this time the situation was significantly different from what happened in other countries. Here, competition between European and local technicians flares up sharply.
The government at this stage gives its preference to young artists who show great promise in improving their skills in Western styles. Therefore, they send them to schools in Europe and America.
But this was only at the beginning of the period. The fact is that well-known critics have criticized Western art quite strongly. To avoid a big stir around this issue, European styles and techniques began to be banned from exhibitions, their display stopped, as well as their popularity.
The emergence of European styles
Then comes the Taisho period. At this time, young artists who left to study in foreign schools come back to their homeland. Naturally, they bring with them new styles of Japanese painting, which are very similar to European ones. Impressionism and post-impressionism appear.
At this stage, many schools are formed in which ancient Japanese styles are being revived. But it is not possible to completely get rid of Western tendencies. Therefore, it is necessary to combine several techniques in order to please both lovers of the classics and fans of modern European painting.
Some schools are funded by the state, thanks to which many of the national traditions are preserved. Private traders, on the other hand, are forced to follow the lead of consumers who want something new, they are tired of the classics.
WWII painting
After the onset of wartime, Japanese painting remained aloof from events for some time. It developed separately and independently. But it couldn't go on like this forever.
Over time, when the political situation in the country is getting worse, high and respected figures attract many artists. Some of them, even at the beginning of the war, begin to create in patriotic styles. The rest start this process only by order of the authorities.
Accordingly, Japanese fine arts during the Second World War were unable to develop especially. Therefore, for painting it can be called stagnant.
Eternal Suibokuga
Japanese sumi-e painting, or suibokuga, means "ink drawing". This determines the style and technique of this art. It came from China, but the Japanese decided to give it their own name. And initially the technique did not have any aesthetic side. It was used by the monks for self-improvement while studying Zen. Moreover, at first they drew pictures, and later they trained their concentration while viewing them. The monks believed that strict lines, vague tones and shadows help improvement - all that is called monochrome.
Japanese ink painting, despite the wide variety of paintings and techniques, is not as complicated as it might seem at first glance. It is based on only 4 plots:
- Chrysanthemum.
- Orchid.
- Plum branch.
- Bamboo.
A small number of plots does not make the development of technology fast. Some masters believe that learning lasts a lifetime.
Despite the fact that sumi-e appeared a long time ago, it is always in demand. Moreover, today you can meet the masters of this school not only in Japan, it is also widespread far beyond its borders.
Modern period
At the end of the Second World War, art in Japan flourished only in large cities, the villagers and villagers had enough worries. For the most part, the artists tried to turn their backs on the losses of the war and depict modern urban life with all its embellishments and features on canvas. European and American ideas were successfully adopted, but this state of affairs did not last long. Many masters began to gradually move away from them towards Japanese schools.
It has always remained fashionable. Therefore, modern Japanese painting can differ only in the technique of execution or the materials used in the process. But most artists do not perceive various innovations well.
It is impossible not to mention fashionable modern subcultures such as anime and similar styles. Many artists are trying to blur the line between the classics and what is in demand today. For the most part, this state of affairs is due to commerce. Classics and traditional genres are not actually bought, therefore, it is unprofitable to work as an artist in your favorite genre, you need to adapt to fashion.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, Japanese painting is a treasure trove of fine arts. Perhaps the country in question remained the only one that did not follow Western trends, did not adapt to fashion. Despite many blows at the time of the advent of new techniques, Japanese artists still managed to defend national traditions in many genres. This is probably why, in modern times, paintings made in classical styles are highly valued at exhibitions.
