Ancient Japanese art focused on the culture and surroundings of the Asian island, depicting scenes of human affairs, landscapes and mythology in a highly stylized way. This design style has persisted in Japanese art, influencing modern Japanese artists and designers.
Ancient Japanese Design
Japanese art focuses on the quality of each line that is painted or drawn. This may be attributed to the traditional writing method in Japan, in which the text characters are painted with a brush and ink. This writing technique inspires artists to appreciate line quality. Japanese calligraphic influences can be found in the majority of famous Japanese paintings, woodcuts and sketches.
Below left is an image of Hokusai’s The Great Wave, followed by the famous Japanese paintings; White Phoenix on Old Pine from the Colourful Realm of Living Beings by Ito Jakuchu, Barbarians from the South by Kano Naizen and Wind God by Ogata Korin.
source:wikipedia-greatwave,whitephoenix,barbarians,windgod
Ancient Art in Modern Japanese Design
The quality of each line is still an important aspect of Japanese art, and the tradition of outlining areas of color persists in modern art works. Note in the pictures below how similar shapes and lines are repeated, creating subtle patterns in the piece. This creates a sense of movement and animation in the painting, and is a technique that can be seen in the famous Japanese paintings above.
Some modern Japanese artworks combine ancient and modern design techniques, along with ancient and modern characters. One popular form of modern art in Japan is anime, a style of animated cartoon unique to the small island.
source:indecentbazaar,sandervanliempt,all-art,superpunch,plastolux
