Chinese favour using black ink on white paper. This combination provides the utmost contrast in the simplest possible way.‘It is thought unnecessary to crowd a page with colours when seeking to suggest the highest spiritual and harmonious ideals.’
This concept is very different from westerner’s paintings. It is rather amazing to see how ink can suggest every colour – the secret of using ink lies in knowing just how much water and ink to put on the brush. This varies with the size of the brush and absorbency of the paper, and can only be learned with practice. And I still struggle with paper absorbency!
On the left and below are two examples of landscapes painted purely using black ink. I think the result is quite striking.
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