The Influence of Oriental Painting on Western Art

 

For several years now, the West has been drawing inspiration from Oriental art. Numerous artists, coming from countries, have been dazzled by the artistic landscapes of Japan, India and China. What these artists have found there is essential, especially in the application of ink painting.

Below, Chicago-based artist David Berkowitz will share some key points regarding how ink painting has influenced Western art.

Western and Eastern Art: Differences

The use of lines, perspective, anatomy, and theme, among others, manifest prominent differences between Eastern and Western painting.

Chinese ink painting focuses on the image on the canvas and not on faithfully reproducing the superficial appearance of what was represented. However, oriental artists pursued their own understanding, downplaying the importance of faithfully reproducing reality. So when you appreciate an ink painting from China, you may have a sense of déjà vu, but you will not be able to pinpoint which object the painting actually refers to.

On the other hand, Western oil painting has been reproducing objects in an "objective" way. Artists have been using scientific methods that include perspective, anatomy, light, and color.

The artist David Berkowitz Chicago discovered how unalterably different East and West are. He managed to relate to his brush and artwork, but even so, his painting failed to express the relationship to writing.

David Berkowitz also explains that "Oriental art does not separate painting from pure calligraphy, which is difficult for us to conceive."

Influence of Oriental Art in the West

The influence of eastern art on western art can be felt in many ways. Sometimes it is obvious, as in the link between calligraphy and image in David Berkowitz Chicago's art collection; in the changing perspectives in his landscapes; and in his arabesques and patterns.

However, most of the time, the dialogue with the East was as silent and discreet as the oriental art that inspired it. Without some clue, it would be difficult to identify the role of oriental art in the works of different artists.

Reasons for Oriental influence in Western Art

Interest in oriental art occurs mainly because it touches on issues related to the interior and not to the exterior. Its objective is not to analyze from the outside, but to understand from the inside. Oriental art is slow, non-linear, focused on composition and thought, and inspired artists who moved in different political, formal, and expressive directions.

Thus, oriental art has been a source of images, shapes and patterns. It also allowed artists to breathe new life into postwar artistic thinking.  Many of them immersed in American modernism, attracted by its holistic way of seeing the world.