Ink and Emptiness

Chinese ink painting — the dominant art tradition of East Asia — works on principles opposite to Western oil painting. Where Western art fills the canvas, Chinese painting treats empty space (liúbái) as part of the picture, not a blank to be covered.

The Six Principles laid down by Xie He in the 6th century CE (c. 550) governed Chinese painting for over 1,500 years. The first and most important was qiyun shengdong — "spirit resonance and life movement." A painting had to feel alive.