Asian Art

Asian art has primarily used silk, ivory, jade, waxed paper and clay to produce some of the world’s most stunning art pieces. The great dignity of man, animals and nature can be felt in the artistic expression of most Asian art. From as far back as 1,000 years ago and more, Asian art has produced some of the world’s greatest works of calligraphy, pottery, drawings, poetry, and paintings.

In Asia, art is more than an optical pleasure; it is a lesson in philosophy. The great dignity of man, animals and nature can be felt in the artistic expression of most Asian art. From as far back as 1,000 years ago and more, Asian art has produced some of the world’s greatest works of calligraphy, pottery, drawings, poetry, and paintings. Asian art has primarily used silk, ivory, jade, waxed paper and clay to produce some of the world’s most stunning art pieces.

The philosophy of Asian art derives mostly from a Taoist and Buddhist perspective. The Taoists established linear representations of change, movement and energy in their art, embodying the framework of transience and yin and yang. Using art as an expression of the impermanent nature of all things, the Buddhists used it to show that all of life is cyclical and transitory. This can be seen in the brush strokes they used and the circular designs they employed. In Asian art, a painting is not only considered a representation of nature, but is itself a work of nature. The very technique used to accomplish this, as Zen would say, is the "art of artlessness."