Uploaded June 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
This short animation offers a glimpse at the process of making an ink painting like those in this exhibition. Follow each line as it is added to the paper. Notice how the artist paints each shade of ink separately and how the different, abstract strokes finally come together to form the image. At the very end, you will also see how the original light color of the paper has darkened over the centuries.
This animation was created for the exhibition Mind Over Matter: Zen in Medieval Japan.
Mind Over Matter: Zen in Medieval Japan, part of The Arts of Devotion initiative, is made possible by Lilly Endowment Inc. Generous support for this exhibition and the museum's Japanese art program is provided by Mitsubishi Corporation.
https://asia.si.edu/exhibition/mind-over-matter-zen-in-medieval-japan/
This short animation offers a glimpse at the process of making an ink painting like those in this exhibition. Follow each line as it is added to the paper. Notice how the artist paints each shade of ink separately and how the different, abstract strokes finally come together to form the image. At the very end, you will also see how the original light color of the paper has darkened over the centuries.
This animation was created for the exhibition Mind Over Matter: Zen in Medieval Japan.
Mind Over Matter: Zen in Medieval Japan, part of The Arts of Devotion initiative, is made possible by Lilly Endowment Inc. Generous support for this exhibition and the museum's Japanese art program is provided by Mitsubishi Corporation.
https://asia.si.edu/exhibition/mind-over-matter-zen-in-medieval-japan/
