Beauty in Action Painting - Displaying Femininity

            I have always been fascinated by the intricate artful styles of Asian art. The whimsical nature of the brush strokes and color palette choices. In the painting "Beauty in Action," we see a perfect example of the western idea of Asian art as a representation of beauty and opulence. The intricate detail is consuming and draws one into what is a painting with a vast open negative space of plain white. The white space brings the eye to the idea that this is a piece created in another world since there is no traditional view of landscape to give the traditional scope. Scope in the sense of what you are looking at in terms of location or setting. The delicate brush strokes almost seem the lift the image off of the page as if you are viewing a 3D view of the ladies walking calmly under a plum blossom or cherry blossom tree. The use of the tree indicates that the ladies are in a natural setting as well as the flowers located on what you would naturally assume is a waterfront. It conveys movement and uses the mind's natural assumptions of environment to fill in the blank space as we would see it in our own minds.
             Traditional mediums and techniques in Asian art may be the explanation for such a playful artistic expression created here. The ink being the traditional paint of choice is often been based on the fact that ink is much less expensive than oil or lacquer and much more readily available in China, Japan, Korea, and India. Mineral compounds mixed in different concentrations of water produce such delicate and whimsical colors that express passion and structure in forms. The deeper richer concentrations tend to draw the eye closer to the detailed strokes or dotting often used to depict flowers or branches, creating layers of contrast that help the image leap off the canvas. It also helps determine the scope of the negative space in the painting. The dynamic color distribution and concentration of ink on the paper allows the eye to distinguish the background and foreground of what actions or movements the artist is attempting to convey.