Style Imitating Art…
Welcome back for my interpretation of a beautiful piece of art on paper. Salazar, Shelbee, and I are the curators. You can think of this series as fashion meets art museum! SIA challenges people to find inspiration in different art works, create looks based upon that art work, and share them with the curator for that piece. Salazar selected this beautiful ink wash scroll for us. I hope you enjoy this post, the information, and my interpretation.
How it works…
Every other Monday one of us selects an inspiration piece of art and posts the image on their blog. We then invite others to interpret that art work through their style. The following Monday, we share our outfits. The curator shares submissions the following Wednesday on her blog. Salazar chose this week’s art work for this round of Style Imitating Art. If you’d like, you can read why she chose it here. Please send your photo to her by Tuesday, September 8th, 2026 by 10 pm EST. Style Imitating Art is an interesting way to inspire your outfits. You can see a few of my looks here, here, here, and here.
Just a note…
I am head over heels with commitments this month. For that reason, 10 on the 10th won’t be happening this month ONLY! Look for it in October again!
The artist…
Huang Binhong (Chinese: 黃賓虹)was born on January 27, 1865 in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, but his ancestral home was She County, Anhui province. His grandfather was another artist, Huang Fengliu. Huang’s father was a merchant who encouraged his son’s artistic interests. When the business collapsed in 1888, the family returned to Shexian, their native land. While there, Huang (our artist) fostered a connection with the land. Xinan literature and painting led him to imitate those styles. He also collected and studied ancient seals. He studied the inscriptions which were in bronze and stone. Many regard Huang as “one of the last innovators in the literati style of painting.” You can read more about the literati style here. He would come to be known as “an art theorist who, faced with the challenge of a new society in 20th century China, incorporated fresh ideas into traditional Chinese painting.”
Early life…
Huang was classically educated as a “traditional scholar in calligraphy, painting and literature, which he cultivated throughout his life.” As he traveled around eastern China, Huang viewed private collections. He also sketched the local scenery. As he got older, he used photography to assist him in producing his landscapes, often the scenery he’d seen in eastern China.
The White Period…
Huang’s early art shows the influence of Li Liufang, Cheng Sui, Cheng Zhenkui, Kun Can, Hong Ren, and the Yuan and Ming masters. During this period of his artistic output, Huang’s art combined positive and negative space with dark and light shades. His brush lines were “powerful and precise. The compact touches, the graceful outlines and the elegant styles of Xin’an School of painting had a profound influence on Huang throughout his life.” This period of his artistic style is called the White Period.
The Black Period…
In addition to producing art, in the 1920s, Huang became a co-editor (with friend, Deng Shi) for the fine arts book series, Meishu congshu (Collection of Books on Fine Arts) and managed his friend, Deng Shi’s publishing house, Fengyulou. I couldn’t tell if he did this until he died or not. When he was sixty, Huang traveled to Guichi. The scenery drew him, but this area would lead to a huge change in his painting style. His focus, during his “White Style,” had been on brush and line. Now, during his “Black Style,” Huang began focusing on ink and wash. In 1928, he traveled to Guangxi and Guangdong and started sketching the real landscapes of that area.
A little more…
At the ripe old age of 69, Huang visited Sichuan. After seeing Mount Qingcheng in rain and the Qutang Gorge under moonlight, he began to use “dripping, staining, and layers of dense ink to illustrate the misty wet feeling of rain and the nightly view of the mountains.” And, with that, “’his black, dense, thick, heavy’ style became his significant feature.”
Still more…
Huang lived in Beijing for eleven years (1937-1948) and completed most of his Black period paintings at that time. He next moved to Hangzhou (Salazar just visited there) and et voilà, his style evolved yet again. He was now in his 70s! This new style, inspired by Western Impressionism, integrated
“the two major Chinese painting systems (ink and wash painting with color painting) into a unity. Dots of red, green and blue pigment merged with layers of dense ink creating a luxuriant and richly integrated style in which he deftly manipulated solid and void. His varied style and creativity not only won him an honorary title, but also brought light into the modern Chinese art history.”
Maturing style…
Many believe Huang’s work and ideas matured during the 30s and 40s. During this time, he argued for studying the Tang and Song works to “trace the past, in order to initiate the future.” He also wrote Huafa yaozhi (Principles of Painting) in 1934. He explained “his five ways of using the brush and his seven ways of using ink. He derived his style from the close study of Chinese tradition and of nature.” He also pointed to the Xinan school of painting as being significant to his work as well as Dong Quichang.
Later years…
Even though Huang wrote about and used the ancient techniques, observers of his work point out his experiments with the effects of light and his use of brush and ink, when mixed with those of Western Impressionism and Modernism as examples of style. “He developed calligraphic strokes in his works, forming a luxuriant and richly integrated style in which he deftly manipulated solid and void.” Unbelievably, he did not have a one person retrospective of his art until he was 80. This was held in Shanghai. I find it interesting he rarely painted people, preferring landscapes. I wonder why that is. Huang is also credited with “creating several societies devoted to painting and calligraphy.” Unfortunately, near the end of his life, his eyesight deteriorated, but this led him to use “rich and dark ‘burnt’ ink to create sublime masterpieces that bridge representation and abstraction.”
Revolutionary…
It’s important to note Huang was opposed to the Manchu Dynasty and became a revolutionary. When he was discovered in 1907, he fled to Shanghai. He remained there for two decades, teaching and working as a publisher and editor for many different art books and journals. When he moved to Beijing in 1937, he was employed by the Beiping Ancient Works Display Centre (from Chinese Beiping guwu chenliesuo) in order to appraise paintings for the Nationalist government.
Finally…
Huang Binhong died on March 25, 1955 of natural causes. He was 90 years old and died in Hangzhou. Huang had dedicated “his life to preserving the literati ideals of the past in modern times. His merits as a painter, publisher of art treatises and journals, as well as his commitment as a professor of art before and after 1949, have elevated him as a major figure in the twentieth century Chinese art world.”
The artwork…
Try as I might, I could not find a single thing about the art, itself. I believe it to be ink on paper as it appears to be a scroll. You’ll also notice the presence of two red squares. I think those might be his “signature.” The art doesn’t even have a name. It’s just a landscape created by Huang. But, I have a feeling Shelbee will have discovered much more! You can check her blog to see. I know I will be!
Sources…
My interpretation…
I wore a Kantha Bae Short Spellbound kimono. I am so glad I finally figured out how to wear these as dresses because I will get so much more use out of them. Remember, I can’t link to my specific one because each of them is unique. They are running a 25% sale on the whole site through Labor Day, I think. No code is needed. I decided to edit some of the photos into black and white because that’s what our inspiration piece kinda is. Even though my kimono is missing most of the objects (if not all) on the art work, I thought it reflected the feeling of it. For once, I went with my first thought for this SIA challenge!
The Lewk!
I wasn’t quite sure what to wear when it came to footwear. Then, I thought of these Carlos Santana sandals which are over 15 years old. I know that because I bought them before we moved to the Burg. I thought the feathers might be reminiscent of some of the implements Huang would have used. Then, I added John Hardy bamboo earrings, necklace, and earrings because I think of bamboo when I think of China. When I think of China, I think of pandas who like to eat bamboo. See how my mind works!
Wrap it up, Marsha!
In case you haven’t noticed, I really like to learn! I know so little about China and its history. This was a short but kinda deep dive into one artist and his life. We have a huge series of galleries that are devoted to Asian art at the museum. I love to go in there, but I admit I’m a bit overwhelmed because of the sheer size of it. There are also different religions involved in those galleries so that further complicates my learning. But, I’m determined to learn more so I can spend more time there during Gallery Conversations. So, can we talk? Have you ever experimented with calligraphy? Were you aware of what being a literati painter was? What is your experience with art of this kind? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as quickly as I can.
Don’t forget…
If you want to be included in the Style Imitating Art round up, send Salazar your photo by 10:00 pm EST, Tuesday, September 8th, 2026. Photos of everyone participating will appear on her blog on Wednesday, September 9th! If you’re interested in joining us, consider all of your options…the colors, the textures, the feelings they evoke! Come on, give it a try! I think you’ll love it!
Thank you!
I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for reading, commenting, subscribing or emailing! It truly means so much to me! If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me here.
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Where you can find me:
Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style, Is This Mutton, and Shelbee on the Edge. I also link up with I do deClaire, Mummabstylish, and Style Splash as well as the Senior Salon Pit Stop and Slices of Life. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month as well as the Global Writing Challenge on the second Thursday. I now co-host Fashion Files with Amy at Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa every Tuesday. I co-host Traffic Jam Weekend every Thursday with Melynda, Lisa, Cat, and Rena. I also host 10 on the 10th on the 10th of the month! I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties!
That was really interesting, especially how Huang Binhong kept evolving through different styles in his long life.
I had never heard the term “literati painter” before, but I know very little about Chinese art, I’m sorry to admit.
Nice choice for your outfit!
You need a extra head to put in all the information you want to gather! Lovely dress btw. I used to do calligraphy, just because I loved to write. But that was like 40 years ago…….. gosh……..
That is such a pretty dress! I used to do a lot of calligraphy work and eventually got to the point where I used my calligraphy pens to draw and “paint” pictures as well.