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Isamu Noguchi 野口勇
Peking Brush Drawing 北平毛筆畫
1930
Isamu Noguchi, a central figure in the history of twentieth-century art and design, was born in Los Angeles to an American mother and a Japanese father. In 1930, with the intention of travelling on to Japan to visit his father, Noguchi spent six months in Beijing and was introduced to Qi Baishi, a prominent figure in modern ink painting. The experience with Qi led him to produce a series of works, which came to be known as the Peking Brush Drawings.
The figural play with brush and ink in this particular work points to interests that Noguchi would develop in other media later in his career. Noguchi used the brush technique baimiao, sketching the body of a baby with thin lines, and then applied broad, heavy strokes of ink to the limbs and back, using lighter marks around the body to suggest movement. Noguchi’s fine sketch of the human body can be traced to traditions of Western figure drawing, but the fluidity and spontaneity of his brushstrokes are closer to classical Chinese ink painting and calligraphy, drawing in particular from the technique of feibai (flying white).
The figural play with brush and ink in this particular work points to interests that Noguchi would develop in other media later in his career. Noguchi used the brush technique baimiao, sketching the body of a baby with thin lines, and then applied broad, heavy strokes of ink to the limbs and back, using lighter marks around the body to suggest movement. Noguchi’s fine sketch of the human body can be traced to traditions of Western figure drawing, but the fluidity and spontaneity of his brushstrokes are closer to classical Chinese ink painting and calligraphy, drawing in particular from the technique of feibai (flying white).
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