The Japanese word sumi-e is made up of the words for “black ink” (sumi) and “picture” (e). So, what is called Sumi-e is the Oriental art form in which pictures are painted with black ink. But to be sumi-e, a black-ink painting must be alive with the power to stir the hearts and emotions of all who see it.

To bring the painting to live, every line and every dot within it must live too. And the lines that are said to live in sumi-e are the lines that remain after everything unnecessary to the subject has been excluded from its portrayal. Sumi-e, in other words, communicates the essence of nature. Knowing how to paint andso remove from your subject everything but its life and essence is perhaps the most important thing to learn this art. The real meaning of sumi-e can be found in beauty of condensed and distilled forms.

Sumi-e was brought to Japan by Zen priests, so it is full of the spirit of Zen. For in sumi-e, as in Zen, nothing is wasted and the world is expressed in a language reduced to the farthest, most essential limits. In Zen, what expresses reality may be a single word after hours of meditation. In sumi-e, it is a few bold strokes on a pure white paper.

When making a sumi-e painting, it is like a meditation. As one takes up the brush, one by one, the thought that normally occupy the mind grows still and disappears. The hand move naturally, unconsciously, as doing the painting. Gradually, the same object that is seen with mind’s eyes takes shape on the paper. This is a painting that truly lives.

If your painting seems somehow harsh or ineffective, you need only the wish to make it more beautiful to get better results the next time you paint. But, if you practice with the idea “I want to become good at sumi-e.” then you will probably not improve very much at all. For just thinking in terms of good or bad is a sure sign that you are already far away from the spirit of sumi-e which, like Zen saying: ”Become as nothing!” You must free your mind from ambition and desire, then your paintings will sparkle with life and will draw people to feel the many moods of nature.

*picture is a sumi-e painting by artist Hiroki Murata.

About Hiroki Murata

At first glance, Hiroki Murata’s paintings resemble black-and-white photographs. In fact, his work evolved from the long tradition of Nihon-Ga (Japanese painting) and sumi-e. Hiroki Murata (b. 1968) resides in Chiba, near Tokyo, Japan. He studied Nihon-Ga under Japanese master, Ikuo Hirayama, at the prestigious Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. His early works capture the energy of the large metropolis, using vibrant colors juxtaposed against an orderly and simple overall design. A notable hallmark of Murata’s paintings is a high level of sophistication, subtlety and meticulous attention to details, reflecting artist’s long disciplined training in Nihon-Ga.

In 2001, Murata traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico to paint. The setting couldn’t be more different from Tokyo. Wandering among the side streets and surrounding country, he was struck by the rustic beauty of the land, and most of all, by the quiet luminosity of the light. He wanted to capture not just the landscape, but the powerful feelings that seem to permeate this land. Upon returning to Japan, he proceeded to develop a revolutionary painting style. In the next few years, he moved away from the subtle Nihon-Ga style and experimented with the power and impact of black sumi ink on paper.

This new medium requires different approaches and techniques. When sumi ink penetrates into paper, it permanently occupies the spaces between paper fibers. Once absorbed, it cannot be displaced or diluted by adding more water. This characteristic of sumi-e is very different from that of oil painting, where layers of pigments can be added to cover previous brush strokes. In this regard, painting with sumi ink is somewhat analogous to dyeing fabrics. In the current body of work, Murata captured the nuance of natural light, using only black ink. He painted with broad washes of ink while selectively blocking ink from being absorbed into specific areas. He developed techniques that allowed him to create extraordinary scenes - like back-lit subjects against a bright background - which were normally very difficult to render by traditional sumi-e techniques. With the current direction, the artist has opened entirely new avenues to approach contemporary sumi-e.