A Flash of Red

among misty peaks
sudden flash of vermillion
last winter berries

Kim M. Russell, 2017

Image found on Pinterest

My response to Carpe Diem #1155 Sumi-e, the Japanese Way of Painting (2)

Today Chèvrefeuille has told us a little bit more about Sumi-e, the Japanese Way of Painting. He says that ink wash painting, also known as literati painting is an East Asian type of brush painting of Chinese origin that uses black ink—the same as used in East Asian calligraphy, in various concentrations.

He says that the goal of ink and wash painting is not simply to reproduce the appearance of the subject, but to capture its spirit. To paint a horse, the ink wash artist must understand its temperament better than its muscles and bones. To paint a flower, there is no need to perfectly match its petals and colors, but it is essential to convey its liveliness and fragrance. East Asian ink wash painting may be regarded as a form of expressionistic art that captures the unseen.

 In landscape painting the scenes depicted are typically imaginary, or very loose adaptations of actual views. Mountain landscapes are by far the most common, often evoking particular areas traditionally famous for their beauty, from which the artist may have been very distant. Water is very often included.

“The painter … put upon the paper the fewest possible lines and tones; just enough to cause form, texture and effect to be felt. Every brush-touch must be full-charged with meaning, and useless detail eliminated. Put together all the good points in such a method, and you have the qualities of the highest art”. Arthur Wesley Dow (1857–1922)

Ssumi-e and haiku are very similar, as both art forms represent an impression of a scene and make use of a moment as brief as the sound of a pebble thrown into water.

one summer day
poppies coloring the meadows –
raindrops start to fall

© Chèvrefeuille