Chan Painting

While practicing the Path, I enjoy playing with ink.
I am not looking for fame, it is a dangerous game.
Those who call me an amateur don’t know anything about Chan;
I have nothing to answer
Kuncan (1612 – 1693)

For Su Dongpo (XIth) ”looking for mere ressemblance is childish.”
Chan (inspired) painting looks for the spirit of things
to transcribe Chan mind into an art form through the spiritual intuition of the painter.
Remaining eccentric, Chan painter preserved its freedom, creativity and drop of humour.
It could be called spiritual painting, a painting of the being, an art of simplicity, the Tao of ink and bamboo…

What is Chan Painting?

The term Chan or Channa is a chinese transliteration of the sanskrit Dhyana (contemplation), a Mahayana Buddhist school imported from India by Bodhidharma in the VII° c. Blending with the local culture, it incorporated Taoists and Confusianists views and practices to become a fully chinese spiritual path. Also referred to as the Mind School, Chan inspired a monochromatic spiritual pictural trend practised by the Chan monks which became what is generally called ‘Chan painting’. But this art never became a school as such nor could it be defined by a specific style but has remained an inspiration for painters till present days. Using the landscape painting techniques (shanshui) of the litterati, it had its apogee under the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279) before spreading to Japan (13th) as Sumi-e as it is still known today, the difference being that the litterati approach has remained more cultural – intellectual and symbolic – while Chan painting is more intuitive and contemplative. Read more…