Japan is an amazing country, its culture is mysterious and beautiful. For most people, the concept of "Japanese culture" is associated with hoku and sophisticated ink paintings. Mountains, the peaks of which are covered with snow and fog, spring valleys, philosophical plots - when you look at such paintings, we experience peace and inner harmony. The most popular Japanese ink painting in the style of suiboku, or suibokuga.
History of creation
Images similar to this technique appeared in ancient China. The word "suybokuga" is translated as "a picture of water and ink." Only these components are used to create pictures. In that era, paintings were painted with ordinary strokes of carcasses, then the artists began to perfect the technique, trying to add volume and expressiveness to the lines.
In the first half of the VIII century, during the reign of the Tang Dynasty, a style of ink painting was formed, which was called Suibokug. The word is of Japanese origin, but such a manner of drawing became popular in Japan only in the XIV century. Its followers were Zen monks, representatives of the aristocracy and even members of the royal dynasty.
The visual arts and the art of wielding the sword are one
Japanese ink painting in the style of suiboku, or suibokuga, was especially popular with swordsmen. Miyamoto Musashi is especially famous, who is considered the most skilled warrior and painter. In his book, he wrote that the Way of the Warrior is the unity of the brush and the sword, and to become a great warrior you need to master both types of arts perfectly.
And since then, Japanese suybok style ink painting has been compared to the art of wielding a sword. After all, the basis of the technique is a neat correct brush stroke, which can be done by observing a certain position of the body. The artist should have a straight straight posture, the arm bent at the elbow perpendicular to the canvas, the movements are made not with fingers, but with a brush. It is thanks to this that the pictures are refined, and the lines are expressive.
Principles of Fine Art
Representatives of Japanese ink painting in the style of suiboku followed all the principles of this direction in painting. This manner of drawing was the only alternative to European fine art. But in China, European and Asian cultures merged, so in the paintings you could see the influence of Western artists.
The painters of the Land of the Rising Sun continued to follow the main principles of Japanese painting of suiboku:
- understatement;
- emptiness.
If translated into a clear artistic language, it means freedom of space. In Japanese ink painting in the style of suiboku, the masters necessarily left part of the canvas untouched. This was done so that the viewer, looking at the canvas, could dream up and complement the composition with his artistic images.
Also, pictures of Japanese ink painting in the style of suiboku are distinguished by external simplicity. The drawing technique itself is straightforward, but at the same time, the masters manage to add dynamism and brightness to the picture. Artists experiment with the play of light and shadow, which allows you to create expressive paintings. Some use colored mascara in their work. Especially if you paint flowers - so they seem even more beautiful and livelier.
Subjects for drawings
The style of Japanese ink painting of Suybokug differs from the rest in that all the plots seem simple, but at the same time set the person in a philosophical way. The main object of the artists was the landscape. In the earliest drawings, you can see mountains, gorges shrouded in fog, a translucent landscape was more like Chinese painting. Which is not surprising, because Japanese masters adopted this technique from Chinese artists.
With the development of this direction, the landscape more and more resembled Japanese terrain. Then they began to paint portraits of famous personalities. Initially, artists used a monochrome technique for drawing, but with the development of this style, it became possible to add bright colors that looked like translucent strokes, thin lines that made the picture even more voluminous and expressive.
In Japan, ink painting is not just a trend in painting, but a real philosophy. To make neat lines, a person must have not only the correct position of the body and arm, but also internal balance.