Ink wash painting

Sumi -e (Japanese墨 絵, dt ink image ) is the black and white art of ink painting (ink: Japanese Sumi ). It is rooted in the ascetic attitude of Zen monks and works with the most economical means. She wants more than hint at issue and is in their world aloofness of the antithesis to the lively art of Yamato -e.

From Sesshū Toyo and Motonobu Kano, the path of Sumi -e about Miyamoto Musashi leads directly into our time in which the work of a Taikan Yokoyamavon is particularly important.

The Art of Sumi -e requires a high degree of mastery of the material, because every brushstroke on silk or paper is irrevocable. This has resulted in East Asia to an extraordinary sensitivity to the expressive value of the line. As the shape of a character already introduced its inner content expressed as the brushwork of ink image is beginning to express its essence. The magic word of the ink painting is called " Notan " deep and light tones. From the artist of the Sumi -e is expected that he is able to provide at least the same wealth of sounds with its black ink as with the abundance of bright colors. A well-known master word is: " If you treat the black ink sent, then there are the five colors almost by itself ."

Due to the fact that things are stripped of all color and are removed from the context with the environment, their inner, spiritual structure can be felt, their " real " character appears. The more economical means of representation, depending fragmentary the whole thing seems to be, the more important and enigmatic is the expression of the line; from the lines is called something that is not visible to the things, but what is in and behind them.

The only German artist who holds the rank of Master Sumi -e, is living in the United States painter Jan Zaremba. As a longtime student of the Zen master Dr. Hisashi Ohta, who was revered in Japan during his lifetime as "living national treasure", he was awarded this degree of Master in Sumi -e.