These essays on Chinese painting begin with what can be seen: a brushstroke, an interval of unpainted paper, a figure or a landscape. From these details, they consider how artistic practice relates to Daoist thought, Chan and Zen, and the history of ink painting.
This directory groups the writing by theme. Readers new to the subject can begin with Xieyi Painting or Daoist Talks (II): The Basics. Individual studies offer closer readings of particular works.
The essays bring together historical discussion and the perspective of a practising painter. Their interpretations develop through examples rather than treating “Dao” or “Zen” as a single style.
For the complete series, see Daoist Talks. For studio reflections and travel writing, visit the Arts & Philosophy Journal.
Ways into the Essays
1. The Dao & The Brush
Balance, naturalness and the relationship between a brush mark and the space around it.
- The Principle of Balance in Chinese Painting — Balance and the relation between opposing elements.
- Principles of Dao in Painting — Brushwork and natural form, considered through bamboo painting.
- The Cosmos in One Dot — The smallest mark and its place in the whole.
- Daoist Talks (II): The Basics — An introduction to the series.
- Wu Wei: Effortless Action — Acting without forcing, considered through painting.
- What Is Reality? What Is Nothingness? — A painter’s reflection on appearance, absence and perception.
- Bada Shanren and Ziran — Naturalness and the movement of a composition.
- Dot and Emptiness: The Essence of Chinese Art — A mark and the surrounding space.
- Xieyi Painting — Freehand brushwork and contemporary practice.
Zha Shibiao — a sparse landscape in which brushwork and unpainted space hold the composition together.
2. Zen Aesthetics
Readings of simplicity and imperfection, alongside a reflection on how Dao and Zen are discussed today.
- Wabi Sabi and the Aesthetics of Imperfection — Irregularity, transience and the experience of looking.
- Six Persimmons by Mu Qi — Ink tones, spacing and six simple forms.
- Dao and Zen in Chinese Painting: An AI Experiment — A recorded experiment from 2022, with the author’s reflections.
Six Persimmons by Muqi — a Chan painting reduced to ink tone, form and interval.
3. Masters & Techniques
Close studies of works, subjects and ways of learning through the brush.
- Qi Baishi: Cabbage and Peppers — Everyday subjects and the economy of the brush.
- Huang Binhong: Copying Old Masters — Learning through copying and developing an individual response.
- Cats in Chinese Painting — Cats as subjects in Chinese painting and visual symbolism.
Huang Binhong — accumulated ink brushwork and open water.
Daoist Talks Series
The Daoist Talks series connects questions of perception and identity with particular paintings and poems.
- Ego vs. Self in Daoism — Identity and the painter’s attention.
- Dao in Chinese Poetry — Li Bai, wild geese and the relation between verse and images.
- Liang Kai: The Story of Eight Eminent Monks — Narrative painting in Daoist Talks (IV).
Bodhidharma in a red robe — a contemplative figure beside inscription and seals.
From Theory to Painting
The portfolio shows how these concerns continue in the studio: in the pressure of a stroke, the weight of a dark form and the spaces left open.
- Zen Paintings — Gesture and open space in contemporary ink painting.
- Wabi-Sabi Art — Texture, irregularity and traces of change.
An ink work from the Zen Moment series — gesture and open paper in contemporary painting.
About the Author
Friedrich Zettl is an Austrian painter and scholar of Chinese art. His writing draws on research into xieyi painting and on his own work with ink, calligraphy and abstraction.
Browse the Complete Archive
The complete article archive includes further essays, studio reflections and travel writing.
Related articles: Daoist Talks | Xieyi Painting | Zen Paintings
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Art Portfolio → Featured Artworks → Arts & Philosophy Journal → All Articles
Explore Asian Art Essays for writing on Chinese painting, calligraphy, aesthetics and art history.
Available Artworks
Original works are available on FriedrichZettl.com and Saatchi Art
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Thank you 🙏