Bird and Flower 117 Painting

Bird-and-flower The refined genre of “Bird-and-Flower” remains one of the most persistent, sought-after, and vivid motifs in Oriental painting. Originating in the beginning of the 10th century, it is still one of the most popular genres among artists of Eastern schools. The philosophy of “grandeur in minutia” is reflected in the works of this genre, embodying the Buddhist-Taoist idea that the scheme of the Universe is contained in every part of nature, no matter how insignificant and inconspicuous: birds, animals, insects, and plants were considered to be symbols of the canon and an expression of the universal. Artwork Zin Ka combines classical oil painting technique with traditional oriental ink painting methods. The artist dilutes oil paint to the viscosity of ink and applies it with various tools with the speed and accuracy of calligraphy to the horizontal surface of professional quality paper. The oil paint soaks into the uncoated paper to create a solid base; the painted layer acquires a distinctive velvety quality. A contemplative, associative and symbolic language foregrounds the significance of emptiness, as the Eastern poetic quality of life merges with Western achievements in impressionism, expressionism, and abstraction.