Lillies

Lilies (Study 65 x 53 Cm)

Lilies are the first thing you paint in the study of Nihonga. In the west, lilies are a symbol of purity, or innocence, however that is not exactly connected to this practice. I don’t know the real reason, but you sometimes hear that painting lilies is good for practicing the basic painting techniques such as Tessenbyo (“The Iron Line Stroke”) or Kumadori (“Gradating Tone”). Or that it is good for learning how to handle the pigments such as Gofun (a white made from oyster shell), Rokusho (malachite green), or Suihi (dyed oyster shell pigments).