Workshop of Japanese nihonga painting by Mayumi Goto

Mayumi Gotō demonstrating japanese painting techniques

On 16 November, a workshop of Japanese nihonga painting under the guidance of Japanese artist Mayumi Gotō took place at the Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University. Mayumi Gotō, whose painting Kagutsuchi - 12 Years Old Spring has been exhibited since last year in the premises of Building D on the campus of the Faculty of Arts on Arne Novák Street, has been working in the traditional nihonga style, which has not been widely represented recently.

During the roughly five-hour workshop, students of Japanese studies learned basic information about the history and techniques of nihonga painting and, above all, tried their hand at creating their own work based on a model. After applying blue mineral dye on Japanese washi paper and fixing it with nikawa adhesive made of animal collagen, the workshop participants decorated the background with gold leaves of different shades and finally painted a flowering sakura branch.

Finally, M. Gotō reviewed the students' works, which, although similar at first glance, always had a different feel, for example, due to the shade or density of the applied colours, the dynamics of the gilding, or even the placement and format of the signature.

The students took away from the workshop a finished painting and a number of interesting experiences and we would like to thank Mayumi Gotō once again for organizing the workshop and we look forward to further cooperation.