Splendor of Spring

Brief description of the exhibition 

 The Workhouse Arts Center is proud to present Splendor of Spring: Paintings and Calligraphy in partnership with the National Capital Area Chapter (NCAC) of the Sumi-e society of America. NCAC was established in 1972 to serve a group of artists who are avid in their appreciation of the centuries-old East Asian art forms of ink wash painting, or “sumi-e” in Japanese, and calligraphy. 

 NCAC artists paint with ink and watercolor, on silk, rice paper, and gold or silver shikishi boards (laminated paper affixed to a hardboard backing). Specialized brushes for Sumi-e are round and made of natural hair, just as they were developed 2,000 years ago. The unique brush strokes in Sumi-e and calligraphy combine to form a lively and endless variety of painting subjects.

NCAC artists see themselves as bridges between East Asian and Western art.  The aesthetics of Sumi-e that may differ from Western art include:

1)      Energetic, beautiful brush strokes

2)      Compositions that are asymmetrical, yet balanced

3)      Interesting “negative spaces” (blank areas around the painted objects)

4)      Clusters of objects in a large grouping (the “host”) and medium and smaller groupings (the “guests”)