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Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 112 (2014) 621 625

International Conference on Education & Educational Psychology 2013 (ICEEPSY 2013)

The Uniqueness Study of Contemporary Silk Painting

Xiuyue Zhanga, *, Chaode Li b
a
Graduate Student, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
b
Professor, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China

Abstract

Silk painting is a way to express the painters personality and creativity , and the DIY process always brings huge self-
fulfilments, enriching peoples life. This valued and meaningful art form should be shared by the public, not just the
professionals. Just like any long journey starts with the first step, spreading the beauty and value of silk painting is necessary
for people to know about this art form. Bricolage theory, hybridity and case study methods are used in this article. The
uniqueness of contemporary silk painting is represented in three ways: unrivalled painting ground, unduplicated and
expressive painting effects, and multiple painting styles.

2013 TheAuthors.
2013 The Authors.Published
Publishedbyby Elsevier
Elsevier Ltd.
Ltd.
Selection and peer-review
Selection and peer-reviewunder
underresponsibility
responsibility of Dr Zafer Bekirogullari.
of Cognitive-counselling, research and conference services (c-crcs).

Keywords: uniqueness; silk painting

1. Introducti on

Originated in China, silk has a profound in fluence in the civ ilization h istory throughout times and across
continents; painting is the original and ancient way to decorate fabrics (Yuan & Qiu, 2006; Cheng, 2011), as well
as a direct, fast and effective approach to exp ress ideas in pattern creation ( Miao & Zhang, 2008; Wang & Yuan,
2012). Without the limitations of colors and patterns, silk painting can express numerous styles (Lin, 2002; Zhao,
2006; Cheng, 2011; Wu, 2012). Silk paint ing is a relaxing and absorbing process (Southan, 2011), a way to fully
express the painters personality and creativity, and the DIY process always brings huge self-fulfillments,
enriching peoples life.

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +8615995888066.

E-mail address: xiuyuezhang2013@gmail.com

1877-0428 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Selection and peer-review under responsibility of Cognitive-counselling, research and conference services (c-crcs).
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.1209
622 Xiuyue Zhang and Chao de Li / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 112 (2014) 621 625

2. Problem Statement

Through literature rev iew, I found the focus point of silk painting study was different in the West and in China.
It was more pract ical in the West and more theoretical in China.
There are at least 30 know-how silk painting books in the West market, teaching the public how to
undertake silk painting, ranging fro m all-included practical guide books for novice beginners to more advanced
professional books for experienced enthusiasts; besides, on -line tutorial videos and websites are easy to find.
Relevant materials, tools and equipments are availab le in art supply stores. With a good channel and access to
silk painting, anyone can enjoy the process even without any drawing experience, as long as he or she wants to
have a try. The finished silk paintings are mainly used for garments, accessories, home furnishings and decorative
art works.
Chinese scholars devoted more energy into the theoretical study about silk painting. These articles and papers
are for professionals published in academic journals; silk painting classes are mainly for students in some art
schools; the practical books and tutorial videos are hard to find in the market. Ch inese people like silk, but they
do not have much knowledge about silk painting. Without basic painting experience and skills, people do not
have much courage or passion to try, because they normally thin k only professionals and experts are competent
for painting.
Silk painting is rooted in China, but it is better practiced by foreign public. I think Chinese people havent
fully realized the beauty and uniqueness of this art form. This valued and meaningful art form should be shared
by the public, not just the professionals.

3. Research Questions

As an art school student who has some silk painting education background, what can I do to help mo re people
enjoy silk paint ing? Just like any long journey starts with the first step, spreading the beauty and value of silk
painting is a necessary way for people to gain interests towards this art form. What is the proper starting point?
To begin with, people should know the uniqueness of silk painting.

4. Purpose of the Study

Find out the uniqueness of silk painting.

5. Research Methods

5.1. Bricolage

This theory comes fro m Bricoleu r, a French word, wh ich was coined by Claude Levi-St rauss. As Strauss
(1966) puts, a bricoleur is a man who undertakes odd jobs and is a Jack of all t rades or a kind of professional do -
it-yourself man. In this art icle, I will play the role of b rico leur, co llect and assemble frag ment materials and
informat ion availab le at hand through a hodgepodge of sources, such as practical books, academic papers, tutorial
videos, craft websites, formal face-to-face interv iews, expertise and my personal silk painting experience.

5.2. Hybridity

According to Brah and Coombess study (2000), hybridity is a term fo r a wide range of social and cultural
phenomena involving mixing. To an extent, the history of silk painting is a mix of d ifferent cultures. Chinese
culture first came into silk paintings h istory; with trade and co mmerce, silk painting spread into foreign
 Xiuyue Zhang and Chao de Li / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 112 (2014) 621 625 623

countries, developed under different cultures. Through cultural mixing, silk painting also absorbed different kinds
of painting styles, oriental or Western. In contemporary society, mixing is also a fashion and trend in many
areas. Discovering the mixing characteristics of silk painting may cater to people s taste, thus providing a new
approach for people to realize its uniqueness.

5.3. Case study

Four silk paintings are analyzed as the materials for case study. Fig.1 (a), tit led untitled, was painted by
Guocun Wei, a Chinese artist. Fig.1 (b), titled spring moon, was painted by ANNE-LAN, a French
contemporary artist. Fig.1 (c) and fig.1 (d), tit led flower1 and flower2, were painted by the author.

Fig.1. (a) untitled; (b) spring moon; (c) flower1; (d) flower2

6. Fi ndings

6.1. Silk painting ground unrivalled

As the painting ground of this unique art form, silk has outstanding advantages. It is made of natural protein
fibers, which can breathe and conduct moisture away fro m the body. This property echoes with peoples needs for
a healthy life. Because of silks special co mponents, it absorbs paints and dyes easily and quickly; colors can
spread and blend with each other, forming subtle and varied effects and layers of color densities. Silk has a
natural luster and a sensual feel, arouses inner co mfort and joy.

6.2. Silk painting effectsunduplicated and expressive

There are many factors determine the final effect of silk painting, among which, four factors are of great
importance: people, silk, co lor, technique.
People are the masters of silk painting. The way to do the silk painting is the way for people to express their
personality and creativ ity by numerous painting styles and techniques . People can control some v ital processes to
the final work, such as outlining and coloring, contributing to unduplicated effects. Resist materials are always
used to outline the intended shape, producing varied thickness of lines.
Silk has many types, weights and weaves, each has unique look and feel with d ifferent sensibility and
adaptability to paints and dyes, thus creating changeable final effects.
If the final silk painting is a visual feast, water and color are definitely the actors or actresses. The mixing of
color and water can create unlimited hues, purities and graduate changes. As Southan (2011) holds, once the
richness and vibrancy of the colors co mb ined with the silk, even the simplest idea can be transformed into
something special and unique. In the silk painting flower1 (see fig.1(c)), I used bright colors to depict the
mysterious dreamlike flowers. After roughly outlined so me shapes, I applied p lenty of co lors into the fabric, and
624 Xiuyue Zhang and Chao de Li / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 112 (2014) 621 625

waited to let them mix and blend naturally. When I tried to draw another picture using the same co lor and
technique, I found there was no way to realize that.
Acting like an addit ive, techniques add interesting texture effects. All around the world today, people work
with silk in both traditional and innovative techniques, creating inspiring artworks. The painting flower2 (see
fig.1(d)) co mbines the tie-dye technique with silk painting. First, I used tie-dye method to get a crackled
texture as background. Then, I painted some abstract flowers in the blank areas, and used certain colors to make
flowers blend into the background. Neither the accidental crackled patterns nor the painted flowers could be
duplicated.

6.3. Painting style multiple

Silk painting always looks for new ideas and inspirations. As Naomi (1996) puts, human feelings are not all
that different towards painting. Different cultural backgrounds can have a common ground in which to meet, and
silk painting is an excellent platform, through which cu ltural exchange may be carried out mo re naturally and
effectively.
In the painting untitled (see fig.1(a)), Guocun Wei mixed traditional Chinese painting philosophy with
Western Impressionism style. Harmony is an important philosophy in traditional Chinese painting. All things
coexist in an o rderly way by mutual connections, achieving a harmon ious status. Green and big leaves are for the
pink and delicate lotus; flying dragonflies indicate the pleasing aroma of the lotus; blank space is left to let the
picture breathe, better balancing the who le p icture. The Western influence to the silk painting lies in the co lor
application. Rich colors are arranged in layers with salted and watermark textures, instant impression of the lotus
pond in natural light is pro mptly captured. ANNE-LA N got the inspiration fro m a t raditional Chinese poem and a
photo of the landscape of West Lake in China, then created the painting spring moon (see fig.1(b)). The
outlining and coloring way is similar to a traditional Chinese paintin g style characterized by detailed outlining
and delicately coloring. A three -dimensional perspective is created by a precise structure of foreground, central
objects and background to better depict the objects, which is typical in classical Western painting.

7. Conclusions

Fro m the discussions above, the uniqueness of contemporary silk painting is represented in three ways:
unrivalled painting ground, unduplicated and expressive painting effects, and mult iple painting styles. They are
indispensible and interconnected with each other (see fig.2).

Unrivalled painting
ground

The uniqueness of
contemporary silk
painting

Unduplicated and Multiple painting

expressive styles
painting effects

Fig.2. the uniqueness of contemporary silk painting

 Xiuyue Zhang and Chao de Li / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 112 (2014) 621 625 625

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Guocun Wei and ANNE-LAN for their generosity to offer the pictures for this article, and to
Xiao xia Zhang for her help in material co llect ion.

References

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Cheng, X. (2011). Thoughts on the creative design of hand-painted silk. Silk, 4, 35 - 39.
Lin, Y. Z. (2002). Silk hand drawing. Journal of Zhejiang Institute of Science and Technology, 2, 124 - 127.
Miao, L. Y., & Zhang, X. X. (2008). The art of silk painting. Journal of Nanjing Arts Institute, 4, 145 - 147.
Naomi, O. (1996). Japanese ink painting: the art of sumi-e. New York: Sterling Publishing.
Southan, M. (2011). Beginners guide to silk painting (9th ed.). UK: Search Press.
Strauss, C. L. (1966). The savage mind. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
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