Night in paintings (Eastern art)

Overview of nighttime themes in Asian art For works from the Western world, see Night in paintings (Western art).

The depiction of night in paintings is common in art in Asia. Paintings that feature the night scene as the theme are mostly portraits and landscapes. Some artworks which involve religious or fantasy topics use the quality of dim night light to create mysterious atmospheres. They tend to illustrate the illuminating effect of the light reflection on the subjects under either moonlight or artificial light sources.

Historical overview

Early oriental artists created works that focused on design and spiritual interpretation of their subjects rather than realistic, three-dimensional representations. For centuries, eastern night paintings were spiritually and emotionally evocative works with unshaded, two-dimensional imagery. Like the western world, the moon, candles, and stars helped set the nocturnal scene. But there were also items, such as clothing and tree leaves, that might be used in a specific way to express nighttime from an eastern perspective.

The 16th-century Mughal painter Basawan was an early artist who integrated western techniques and perspective into eastern art. When trade opened up between the far east and the west art slowly changed in both sides of the world. For instance, Japanese ukiyo-e prints influenced Parisian artists. And, Jesuit priests, like Matteo Ricci, brought artwork to China that introduced western approaches for perspective and shading. These factors broadened the way in which nighttime was portrayed everywhere.

Symbolism

Black and grey shades often symbolize gloom, fear, mystery, superstitions, evil, death, secret, sorrow. The light source in most religious paintings symbolize hope, guidance or divinity. In fantasy paintings light could symbolize magic.

By region

East Asian art

China

Traditional Chinese artists sought to capture the interrelated, vast and multifaceted aspects of nature here are on earth and in the heavens. From the article "The Great Art of China's 'Soundless Poems'", Heaven appears "before us only this bright shining mass; but in its immeasurable extent, the sun, the moon, stars and constellations are suspended in it, and all things are embraced under it." Night scenes, not otherwise distinguishable from daytime in Chinese art, include candles, light emanating from a building, the moon, or lake mists.

Symbolism plays an enduring role in the telling of a story through painting or other Chinese art. For instance, stars and the moon are important both for religious significance and as an illustration of Chinese mythology. Symbols used in art may be grouped into four overarching categories: religious imagery, divine and mortal beings, symbols from nature and inanimate objects. Some examples of symbols include bats which means both good wishes and good luck. The moon, aside from religious and mythical connotations, can also mean a month. The particular way an image is depicted has meaning – like a round eyed-cat means it's a night scene.

Artists use rice paper, silk or wood panels to paint night scenes. Silk has illuminating effect, while wood panels create a dark background.

Battle

A collaboration between Chinese and European painters, The Battle of Oroi-Jalatu, (China, Qing dynasty), 1756

Folklore and literature

Literature

Zhou Wenjing, Visiting Dai Kui on a Snowy Night, 15th century (China, Early Ming dynasty), National Palace Museum
Liu Jun, Visiting Pu on a Snowy Night, 15th century (China, Early Ming dynasty), Palace Museum.
Leng Mei,Spring Evening Banquet, (China, Qing dynasty), 1677–1742, National Palace Museum, Taipei.
Gai Qi, Scene from 'Dream of the Red Chamber', c. 1816, Qing dynasty

Dream of the Red Chamber and Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio were inspiration for night time paintings.

Almost 500 legendary tales written by Pu Songling are compiled in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio or Liaozhai Zhiyi. The tales, inspired by oral storytelling, include strong mythical characters like ghosts, immortals, beasts and foxes. They also offer commentary about people, particularly the privileged and court officials, whose human frailties may result in unfair, unjust and other unfavorable treatment to others. He wrote with vivid imagery about the music of heaven, the inability of the light produced by a fire-fly to illuminate the demons of the night, red rings in the sky that shear the heads off of men, and the six conditions of existence: men, sinners, angels, demons, beasts and devils. Nighttime is a symbol for people's inability to understand the world around them. And the supernatural beings are meant to be a mirror to examine the nature of man. From a preface by T'ang Meng Lai to the book, Lai states that the book should prompt the readers to reflect upon the following: "We marvel at devils and foxes: we do not marvel at man. But who is it that causes a man to move and to speak?" One collection of the illustrated stories is at the National Museum of China.

Ghosts and hell

Dai Jin, The Night Excursion of Zhong Kui, 15th century, Palace Museum, Beijing.
Yanluo, judge of Hell, inspired by the Hindu deity Yama

Many of the Chinese ghost beliefs have been accepted by neighboring cultures, notably Japan and south-east Asia. Ghost beliefs are closely associated with the traditional Chinese religion based on ancestor worship, many of which were incorporated in Taoism. Later beliefs were influenced by Buddhism, and in turn influenced and created uniquely Chinese Buddhist beliefs.

Zhong Kui is a mythological figure, generally a vanquisher of ghosts and evil beings, and reputedly able to command 80,000 demons. Another mythological figure is Yan luo, the judge of Hell.

Mood setting

Han Gan, Night-Shining White Horse, ca. 750, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Ma Yuan, Banquet by Lantern Light, circa 1200 (China, Song dynasty), National Palace Museum, Taipei.
Ma Lin, Waiting for Guests by Lamplight, circa 1250 (China, Song dynasty)
Dai Jin, Returning Late from a Spring Outing, 15th century, (China, Early Ming dynasty), National Palace Museum
Kun Can, Landscape after Night Rain Shower, (China, Qing dynasty), 1660, Palace Museum, Beijing.
Yuan Jiang, Penglai Island, 1708, Palace Museum
Huang Shen, A Night Banquet at Peach and Plum Garden in Spring, (China, Qing dynasty), before 1772

Chinese artists focus on the spiritual qualities of the painting and on the ability of the artist to reveal the inner harmony of man and nature, as perceived according to Taoist and Buddhist concepts. Artists, like Su Shi used their skills in calligraphy (the art of beautiful writing) to make ink paintings that expressed ideas based upon the philosophies of Chinese dynasties and Confucius. Their works also express their feelings and the inner spirit of their subject.

Within a night scene, homesickness is expressed by flying birds looking to find a place to rest for the night

Han Gan, Night-Shining White Horse

Han Gan created Night-Shining White Horse to dramatically capture the spirit of the imperial stallion, a symbol of China's powerfulness using only ink and paper. The stark image, without color or shading, exposes the true essence of the scene.

Ma Lin, Waiting for Guests by Lamplight

Waiting for Guests by Lamplight was painted in the Song dynasty by Ma Lin, son of famous Chinese painter Ma Yuan. Using shi i (English: poetic ideas), Ma Lin painted the evening scene based upon a poem by Su Shi. In it, a man sits in the door of a pavilion during a full moon. A gentle mood is set by soft, low-lying fog before the mountains and crabapple trees. Leading up to the building is a line of candles specially placed near the blossoming crab apple trees – to "illuminate their beauty".

The poem by 11th century poet Su Shi that inspired Ma Lin is:

My fear is that in the depth of night,
The flowers will fall asleep and depart. So I light the tall candles,
To illuminate their beauty.

Moon

Ong Schan Tchow, Pine In Moonlight (China)

In Chinese night paintings, the moon often symbolizes loneliness of the painting's character. It also sets the mood for a romantic setting. Chinese paintings also depict mythological characters who symbolize moonlight activity, such as Yue-Laou, the "old man of the moonlight" and Chang'e, the Chinese goddess of the moon.

Chang'e, goddess of the moon

The Goddess Chang'e in the Lunar Palace depicts Chang'e, the Chinese goddess of the moon from Chinese mythology. The late Ming dynasty fan painting shows her outside the Palace of Boundless Cold. Chang'e Flying to the Moon is a contemporary depiction of the goddess.

Political statement

Gu Hongzhong, Night Revels of Han Xizai, (China, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms), 10th century

Night Revels of Han Xizai was painted by Gu Hongzhong during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period when dynasties replaced one another at an alarming rate. Fives vignettes are told about a party that Han Xizai, a minister of Li Yu, hosts. In the first scene (viewed from right to left), Han listens to the pipa with his guests. Then, he watches dancers, takes a rest, plays string instruments, and finally sees guests off. It is believed that this painting was made in response to a request by emperor Li Yu to Gu, following Han's declination of an offer to be prime minister. One interpretation is that the painting was a way of chastising Han for having a carefree nightlife rather than accepting greater political responsibility.

Japan

While paintings are generally a snapshot of a moment in time, the Japanese iji dôzu (English: "different time, same illustration") technique is used to is illustrate activities that occur in different periods of time. A Long Tale for an Autumn Night uses that technique through a progression of time and activities over one night. During the Autumn night a Buddhist monk and his lover experience a fearful night of a demon in initially disguised as a man, a battle, and threat of suicide – all the more sinister by the gloom of night.