Knowra Japanese painting Japanese painting Japanese painting encompasses painting traditions developed in Japan, combining indigenous practices with techniques and ideas adopted from China and other cultures.
Sumi-e : A Japanese ink-painting practice that uses variations in brushwork, ink tone, and empty space. Its economy of ink and emphasis on brushwork recur across Japanese painting.
Chinese painting : Painting traditions that developed in China across changing dynasties, media, and artistic schools. Chinese works and styles supplied major models for Japanese painters.
Sesshū Tōyō : A fifteenth-century Japanese Zen monk and painter celebrated for expressive ink landscapes. His travels in China and bold brushwork made him a landmark of ink painting.
Buddhist painting : Painting made to represent Buddhist figures, teachings, and sacred realms. Temple commissions made religious imagery a major strand of Japanese painting.
Ukiyo-e : A genre of Japanese art, especially woodblock prints, depicting urban entertainment and everyday life. Ukiyo-e shared subjects and artists with painting while relying on mass-produced prints.
Japanese calligraphy : The art of writing Japanese characters with a brush, shaped by Chinese calligraphic traditions. Shared brush techniques connect painting with the art of writing.
Buddhism in Japan : The religious tradition established in Japan through transmission from the Asian mainland beginning in the sixth century. Buddhist institutions commissioned paintings and transmitted continental imagery.
Kanō Eitoku : A sixteenth-century painter of the Kanō school known for monumental works for elite patrons. His large decorative compositions defined painting for powerful warrior households.
Emakimono : A Japanese illustrated handscroll combining images and text, viewed sequentially as it is unrolled. Narrative handscrolls turned painting into an unfolding sequence of scenes.
Western painting : Painting traditions originating in Europe and later developed across the world using diverse styles and media. Western techniques challenged and influenced Japanese painting from the nineteenth century.
Show all 29