BOOKISHGAL

This is a rather sweet Book-without-ISBN, and another of my aunt’s original collection: The Way of Chinese Painting: Its Ideas and Technique, by Mai-mai Sze. Unfortunately it’s falling apart, a little bit, but it’s still a treasure.

I don’t paint (all my creativity gets expressed in words), but I get goosebumps just reading the Table of Contents. The first four chapters are entitled: I) The Concept of Tao; II) The First Canon; III) The Four Treasures: Brush, Ink, Inkstone, paper; IV) The Elements of a Picture.

Just reading those headings suggests we’re going to learn a lot about balance and harmony, and even delicacy.

The second half of the book, taking selections from the Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting of 1679, is where we find specific examples and techniques discussed. And look at the wonderful titles of some of these chapters too: Book of Trees; Book of the Orchid; Book of the Plum; Book of Feathers-and-Fur and Flowering Plants. One almost feels lulled into peaceful rest already!

The “Two Ways of Drawing Twigs,” seen above, are so realistic, yet so light. And look at the delicacy of the lotus flowers on the left in the picture below, and the even more delicate drawings of the Wisteria and other flowers on the right. They’re exquisite.

There are words of advice all through the book, from the ancient masters themselves. For example, some of the Twelve Things to Avoid, by Jao Tzu-jan: a crowded, ill-arranged composition; water with no indication of its source; stones and rocks with one face; trees with less than four main branches; atmospheric effects of mist or clearness neglected; and color applied without method.

Or instructions such as this, in the chapter called The Book of Trees:

Willows in scenes of early spring may also be placed with peach trees in blossom. For this use light ink with a free brush to draw the stems and to indicate dark and light tones. If color is used, paint the shoots green. If one is painting on thin silk, mineral green may be applied on the back of the painting. In painting willows in winter and late autumn scenes, for modeling use only umber mixed with a green.

This is a beautiful little book, despite its not being in great shape. One gets a sense of peace just holding it.

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