Quite by chance I became aware of Sumi-e – the Japanese word for black ink painting. In China, using the same materials of brush and ink on paper the emphasis has been on the beauty of each individual stroke of the brush. The Chinese refer to “writing a painting” and “painting a poem.”

This struck a chord with me as I like the simplicity and stripping back of a subject to a few lines and leaving the viewers’ mind to fill in the gaps. This is interesting as I then found out that the earliest practitioners were highly disciplined monks trained in the art of concentration clarity and simplicity. These masters entered a deep contemplative state in order to practice their art and their respect for the Sumi-e demands shaped their aesthetic direction.   Their aim was to capture the subject’s spirit.  Arthur Wesley Dow, an American artist said of this technique:

“The painter . . . put upon the paper the fewest possible lines and tones, just enough to cause form, texture and effect to be felt.  Every brush-touch must be fully-charged with meaning and useless detail eliminated.” 

Here are a few Sumi-e paintings:

After conducting some more research I found a photographer who had attempted the technique with a camera – Sumi-e photography – Mikkel Aaland. These are some of his images:

I have been thinking about how I could experiment with my photographic practice to develop a similar aesthetic in my images, providing glimpses of  the essence and spirit of my subjects.

I like the simplicity of this art form and also the meditative process undertaken to produce the paintings.  I will spend some time thinking and experimenting with my camera and see what emerges. . .