Japanese Color Theory

[Rusty Red Robot]

I have a poject coming up in a color class that entails researching color in other cultures and how it differs from color associations in America. Going for the cliche, I decided to do a piece on color in Japanese culture. However, I am having great difficulty finding good, helpful sources. If anyone here could help me out at all, I would be very grateful.

[mtw]

Color in what type of Japanese art? Japanese art histroy goes back far. I think most of it involved inks, and not color, but I'm no Japanese art historian.

[Gunbu]

If you are doing it on modern japanese art, take a look at this site http://www.sweatyfrog.com
There are some good examples of popular japanese artists there. Also, there are quite a few good books on this subject, but I can't think of any off the top of my head other than "Super Flat" by Takashi Murakami.

[jrr]

al hirshfield the late great caricaturist once compaired the color in japan to the color in northern europe, like the scandanavian countries. that's why the artwork from these two areas feel so similiar with the washed out colors.
i saw it on the "line king" so i might be wrong :rolleyes:

[gekitsu]

i once read something about color in traditional japanese art is more akin to medieval color in europe:
you paint what you know, not what you see. therefore, light doesn't play the crucial role it played in europe after caravaggio.
the guy who wrote it had a japanese girl in his painting class and she painted a wooden cube with all sides equally colored. when he asked why she ignored the shadows, she took the cube, turned it in her hand and was like "don't you see? it's the same color on all sides"

also, a look at ukijo-e (sp?) woodblock prints may give you an idea.