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Photography as Ink Paintings
Ink painting is widely regarded as an artistic expression of Zen meditation. In Japan it is called Sumi-e. It combines simplicity with forceful expression and allows the blank sections of the paper to speak. The use of only black ink on white canvas creates rich nuance. This type of painting is full of paradoxes, but nothing less could be expected from Zen. The principle of “non-expression” is typical in Zen. With ink painting, non-expression refers to the idea that you should not attempt to express yourself in the first instant, but rather work with ease from a place of spiritual void. The most powerful ink paintings are the ones in which the negative space on the paper speaks as much as the trail of black ink ...
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