Philosophical Origins of Absence of Color in Chinese Painting

The suppression of color is a common mood in the Far Eastern aesthetic experience, which is best represented by the brush-ink Chinese painting. Influenced by the Taoist and Confucian philosophical doctrines, it reflects the traditional principles of loneliness, poverty, and simplicity. Visualizing the Chinese traditional dualism, the black and white system goes beyond an artistic style and resembles a state of contemplation which invites to complete unity with nature. The final goal is self-annihilation in the light of the principle of non-expression.