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What are baimiao and pomo in Chinese drawing?
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Drawing
The Artist's Sister, Edma, with Her Daughter, Jeanne, watercolor over graphite on paper by Berthe Morisot, 1872; in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
In Chinese painting, baimiao and pomo represent two distinct approaches to the use of ink and line.
Baimiao
Baimiao refers to a technique of pure outline drawing. It utilizes a finely controlled, supple brush to create precise ink lines without the use of color or wash embellishments. This method is frequently employed in figure painting, where the clarity and accuracy of the subject's description are of primary importance.12
Pomo
Pomo describes two different styles of ink application, both involving textured surfaces:
- Broken Ink: Often attributed to the 8th-century painter Wang Wei, this technique involves building up dense washes of diluted ink over landforms that have been previously defined by lines.3
- Splashed Ink: This style features forms that are not confined by outlines. Instead, the artist maneuvers ink freely and actively across the surface. This approach is associated with later Tang dynasty eccentrics and 13th-century Chan (Zen) artists.3
While baimiao relies on the discipline of the line, pomo emphasizes the expressive potential of ink washes and fluid application.312