Staring off

Staring off by Yuriy

Description

"In fourteenth-century China a Buddhist monk named Tung-ming, who was also a painter, was fortunate in having a merchant who supported him by buying his ink-paintings. Tung-ming excelled in his art, a very difficult art because an Asian ink painting, unlike a western oil painting, cannot be changed as the artist works on it. Once the brush touches the paper, the ink makes its make, and it cannot be removed. The brush stroke cannot even be widened or lengthened because a knowledgeable observer will easily detect the change, the place where the first strike was widened or extended or whatever; the painting's lack of grace and spontaneity will be evident. Part of the beauty of ink painting is that the viewer understands the difficulty, and appreciates the skill that is evident in each line.

Tung-ming excelled in paintings of plum branches, but one day the merchant, who was a wholesaler of fish, asked him if he would paint a carp. The monk assured the merchant that he would paint the picture, and he then departed. A week pass. Then two weeks. Then three weeks, and still there was no painting. It was not that the merchant and monk did not meet. No, they met every few days because the merchant often invited the monk to dinner. And in the past the monk sometimes invited the merchant to have a cup of tea at the temple to discuss matters of Buddhism, but he had not invited the merchant since the conversation about the carp.

After the second week the merchant began to fret: 'Have I offended Tung-ming?' he wondered. 'Might he think that I don't sufficiently appreciate his paintings of plum blossoms?' And: 'Is it possible that he thinks it is vulgar of me to ask for a picture of a fish because I am a fist merchant?' And: 'Could it be that he thinks, because I am a specialist in fish, I will notice the fact in his picture of a carp is not very good, that he can't catch the essence of its fishiness?' Day after day, week after week, month after month the merchant tormented himself with such thoughts.

Now that months had gone by, the merchant summoned up the courage to ask Tung-ming if they might not, for a change, meet at the temple and have a cup of tea. Tung-ming agreed.

On the appointed day they met in the monk's quarters, drank tea, talked about Buddhist matters and other things, and then the merchant--having noticed that brush, ink-cake, and paper were in view--nervously broached the subject of the picture of the carp. Tung-ming moistened the ink-case and ground some fresh ink from it, dipped the brush in the ink, stood over the paper, paused for five seconds (but the pause seemed like eternity to the merchant) and then, in another five seconds, with five strokes, brushed a marvelous silvery-gray carp and handed the sheet to the merchant.

The merchant was beside himself with joy. When he recovered his composure, he hesitantly asked Tung-ming why had had not produced a picture months earlier. Tung-ming walked across the room, opened the door of a cabinet, and hundreds of sheets of paper--each with a picture of a carp--streamed to the floor."

The Lesson of the Master by Emily Wu

You may be wondering what this has to do with my submitted picture. Absolutely nothing. Aside from the fact my picture is ink art, but it lacks the elegance described within the story. Not that you're not elegant, Borya v

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Category Anime/Manga » BeyBlade » Bryan
Date Submitted December 9, 2007, 9:47:55 PM
Views 2039
Favorites... 1
Vote Score 1

Comments 2
Media Ink or markers
Time Taken less than a few minutes or so
Reference Boris himself

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weaponmistress on December 10, 2007, 6:27:28 AM

you draw sideways really good!!

Yuriy on December 10, 2007, 3:05:26 PM

Hn...thanks.