Rendering 2

Japanese Painting

The author of the article is Dieter Wanczura. It was published on the web site www.artelino.com, August 2003. The article provides the information about the The art of Japanese painting.

In the beginning of the article the author tells about the history of Japanese Painting. According to the text all forms of art had been under the influence of the Chinese culture. Gradually own Japanese styles were developed and painting schools were established. Then Wanczura notes that after the opening of Japan to the West (1868-1912), the early years were marked by an exaggerated embracing of Western art. Then Western art was condemned. However in 20th century there were establish good relations with other countries.

Further the author points out Painting Schools and Styles, tells about its history and development. The first one is Suibokuga. It is the term for painting in black ink. The 2^nd is Kano painting school, which used bright colors and introduced daring compositions with large flat areas. The 3^rd school is Tosa-ha, specialized on small miniature formats in book illustrations. The next is the Nanga style, landscapes and natural subjects like birds and flowers for a cultural elite. And the last one is Shijo school, characterized by subjects taken from people's everyday life.

Further Wanczura reports that Japanese painters used a wide variety of media over the centuries. The 1^st is horizontal scrolls called emakimono, the oldest form of paintings. The 2^nd is vertical scrolls called kakemono, which comes closest to the Western framed canvas painting. The next is byobu, used for decorating of temples and palaces. Sliding doors, called fusuma were another media for Japanese painting. And the last are shoheiga and uchiwa.

In the next subparagraph of the article the author points out several subjects, which are used in Japanese paintings, such as shiki, meisho, monogatari etc. And in the last paragraph Wanczura gives the reader the Japanese Painting Glossary.

So Dieter Wanczura comes to the conclusion that the art of Japanese painting is full of mesmerizing Asian charm. But it is also a subject that not always easily accessible for Westerners.

As for me, I am fond of Japanese culture, especialy Japanese paintings. They are quite unusual, magnificent. They reflect specific culture and traditions of Japan, so uncommon for us.