Ink is a fascinating medium with great expressiveness.
While ink in the Western tradition is primarily used for drawing, in East Asia it is the most important medium for painting.
According to the Chinese tradition, calligraphy is a mirror of the soul.
Ink painting in East Asia, whose most important means of expression are paper, brush and ink, is shaped by the same principles. Up to the present, China has kept this tradition and thus created a unique alternative to Western painting.
The Serbian Endre Penovac is one of the few Western artists who have successfully approached this tradition. His depictions of animals use the techniques of western watercolors, but also show the influence of Chinese ink painting.
In East Asia, specializing in a subject that has to be practiced throughout life is a special challenge on the “Way of Painting” that Endre Penovac faces with his cat images. He expresses them with calligraphic brush strokes and ink washes or modulates them out of an ink circle, as the Zen monks uses to paint them as a symbol of the oneness of all being.
His careful observation and high technical perfection has earned him the recognition of a wide audience in East and West, as his numerous international exhibitions, workshops and awards impressively confirm.
This article was written by Thorsten Schirmer, Professor of Fine Arts, West Anhui University, China.
Bored Panda previously wrote about Penovac’s watercolor and ink paintings several times here and here.
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