Synopses & Reviews
The art of sumi-e, which literally means "ink picture," combines calligraphy and ink-painting to produce compositions of rare beauty. This beauty is paradoxical-ancient but modern, simple but complex, bold but subdued-no doubt reflecting the arts spiritual basis in Zen Buddhism. At the same time sumi-e is firmly rooted in the natural world, its various techniques serving as the painter's language for describing the wonders of nature.
Art and Technique of Sumi-e Japanese Ink-Painting explores this ancient technique. Buddhist priests brought the ink stick and the bamboo-handled brush to Japan from China in the sixth century, and over the past fourteen centuries Japan has developed a rich heritage of ink-painting. Today the artistry of sumi-e can be admired in books, reproductions and museums, but the techniques of the art have been much less accessible. As a result, little information has been available to the inquisitive Western artist attracted to ink-painting. This book, designed to help remedy that deficiency, is the product of the author's study with her teacher, Ukai Uchiyama, master calligraphist and artist.
Synopsis
Through his student Kay Morrisey Thompson, master calligrapher Ukai Uchiyama teaches readers the language of sumi-e, the distinctive Japanese calligraphy which combines Zen spirituality and boldly mimetic natural images. This beautiful volume, winner of the Good Design Award from the American Booksellers Association, offers striking illustrations in black and white and color of its lessons on the practice and philosophy of sumi-e. Readers are encouraged to learn about the bamboo-handled brushes and ink sticks, experiment with simple naturalistic forms, and explore the history and spiritual foundation of an art form which this book makes accessible to Westerners for the first time.
Synopsis
Learn the tools for mastering Japan's ancient Zen calligraphic art form
About the Author
Kay Morrisey Thompson studied at the Massachusetts School of Art in Boston and the Art Students' League in New York. Her professional experience includes work with Glamour and Woman's Day as assistant art director and freelance artwork for Good Housekeeping, McCall's, and The New York Times Magazine. She accompanied her husband, an officer in the United States Coast Guard, on a three-year assignment to Japan, where she began her study with Ukai Uchiyama.