Sunday 5 July 2009

Gongbi – Geisha – Kimonos

‘A Chinese brush painting is created using lines and dots, marks made on the paper to produce a likeness or impression of plants and animals, mountains and skies, fish and insect’.

Chinese brush painting is suggestive more than descriptive, unlike westerner’s paintings That’s what attracted me in this technique, initially.

But as I progressed, I was introduced to Gongbi – the meticulous side of Chinese painting. And being highly meticulous myself, I really enjoyed this technique. To me, it is the perfect combination between traditional painting as I know it, and Chinese brush painting.

As I got started with Gongbi, I got very much into a new subject of painting: geishas and their absolutely beautiful kimonos. I loved the fluidity of the kimonos and some patterns are really exquisite.

Here was my first geisha (top left), now framed and displayed at home. I was very pleased with it – the seal is really missing to finish the picture, but I still do not have an appropriate seal. I am working on it…

A few other geishas followed, amongst which those two:




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