The Yin/Yang of Painting: A Contemporary Master Reveals the Secrets of Painting Found in Ancient Chinese Philosophy [Paperback]

Hongnian Zhang (Author), Lois Woolley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2000

Through the harmonious balancing of opposites, the ancient Chinese philosophy of yin yang is beautifully applied to the art of painting in an illuminating, results-oriented instructional for artists of all levels. According to this time-honored system, successful art is based on balanced energies and the control of contrasting elements within a work. This remarkably simple approach is presented in two seamless parts. Part One examines the traditional elements of painting-from value (light/dark) and texture (thick/thin) to color (warm/cold) and brushwork (sharp/blurred)-as evolving from a true balance of opposites. Part Two's step-by-step demonstrations focus on major genres of painting-still life, landscape, and the figure-employing all the yin-yang principles for the completion of successful paintings.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Several books have recently been published applying ancient Eastern philosophy to painting, including Jeanne Carbonetti's The Tao of Watercolor (Watson-Guptill, 1998), which was very successful. The Chinese philosophy of yin and yang comprises a natural framework for creating art. With yin and yang, the world and in this case the world within a painting is seen in terms of the balance of opposites. Positive forces require negative forces, and energy is released by their balance. In this book, traditional elements of painting are related to yin/yang pairs, e.g., value relates to dark/light, composition to up/down, left/right, front/back, and big/little, color intensity to soft/strong, and so forth. Using a variety of styles and subject matter, the two painter/authors make a very convincing case for using yin and yang as a guiding principal and as a way of inspiring balanced yet highly energetic work.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Hongnian Zhang is an award-winning artist from China. Since his relocation to the United States, his work has been acquired by private and corporate collections and shown at the Grand Central Art Galleries in New York and at Harvard University. He teaches painting at the New York Academy of Art in New York City. Both he and his co-author Lois Woolley, a professional portrait painter, are on the faculty of the Woodstock School of Art in their hometown of Woodstock, New York, where they share their lives and a studio.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823059839
• ISBN-13: 978-0823059836
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #650,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Awesome! A MUST for all Painters., June 15, 2004

By 

Gisele Zeitler "catwoman!" (Scotch Plains, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Yin/Yang of Painting: A Contemporary Master Reveals the Secrets of Painting Found in Ancient Chinese Philosophy (Paperback)

I have read the previous reviews, and find that the people with criticism have missed the most important point. For me, it is that by using Mr. Zhang's complementary palettes, a painter cannot create MUD!
There may be other books which describe some of the notions of opposites presented by the authors, but none which provide an artist with such a foolproof method for mixing harmonious paint. After many years of using the classic paint hues of the great masters, I attempted a painting with one of Mr. Zhang's palettes, and found that with respect to color, it is the best and most satisfying work of my life. Now I paint exclusively with them.
I believe that this book is meant for advanced artists, although beginners will find a world of important fundamentals, as well.
For all its valuable lessons, the pages of the book are also filled with absolutely stunning paintings. HongNian Zhang creates sheer visual poetry. His book, so clearly and intelligently written by portrait artist and teacher Lois Woolley, is replete with novel ideas, expert instruction, and edifying demonstrations. But it would also be worth owning for the paintings alone.
I do wish persons who consider writing a review would actually read and study the book, and in the case of an instruction book for artists, that they actually attempt putting to practice the lessons taught -- otherwise they have no basis from which to judge, and no business doing so. I can't recommend this book highly enough -- five stars are far too few!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Painting Mastery, March 28, 2003

By 

Grand ma (Tomball, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Yin/Yang of Painting: A Contemporary Master Reveals the Secrets of Painting Found in Ancient Chinese Philosophy (Paperback)

This book is a must for the master artist who wishes to advance to the next level of color/light mastery. It is not just pages of beautiful illustrations and color tips.Having enjoyed a sucessful art career myself for many years, this the first art book that I have read that speaks on many leverls to the professional artist. It presents useful ways to limit palet choices without limiting color expression. I have given this six copies away of this book to my contempory artist friends and we all agree that it is a MUST HAVE BOOK!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the yin/yang of painting, July 27, 2001

By 

Laura Lee Zanghetti (Walpole, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Yin/Yang of Painting: A Contemporary Master Reveals the Secrets of Painting Found in Ancient Chinese Philosophy (Paperback)

This is my new favorite art book. I am a self taught painter, therefore, I have a large collection of art books. Yin/yang painting has inspired me to paint with much more confidence (which I needed). The book is so well written and examples of Hongnian Zhang's work are incredible. I can't say enough about this book, it has tought me more about every aspect of painting than all of my other books combined.

I thank you Mr. Zhang. Laura Lee Zanghetti