iwa-enogu　岩絵具

KEY WORD :　art history / paintings

Also iwamono 岩物. A paint *enogu 絵具 made from pulverized mineral pigments *ganryou 顔料 such as rock, earth and metals. Used in Japanese painting *nihonga 日本画 and other Oriental painting touyouga 東洋画. Mineral pigments are insoluble in water, so they are applied with a binder *baizai 媒剤 of animal skin glue *nikawa 膠. Iwa-enogu made from naturally occurring materials include: ultramarine *gunjou 群青 made from azurite or lapis lazuri; green *rokushou 緑青 made from malachite; reds *shu 朱 from cinnabar; *taisha 代赭 from iron oxide; orange *tan 丹 from oxidized lead; yellow ochre *oudo 黄土 made from native earth coloured with hydrated iron oxide, and white *gofun 胡粉 from calcium carbonate obtained from shells. Naturally occurring minerals give the paints the glint and transparency of precious stones. The colours are opaque, durable, and relatively resistant to fading. A single type of stone has a richness of colour derived from differences in the sizes of the particles and the inclusion of some extraneous material. Although the number of colour sources is limited, various colour tones are obtained by grinding down the pigment; the finer the grains, the lighter the shade produced. Exposed to heat, the colours deepen, and even longer heating turns them to a shade of black with a hint of the original colour. Iwa-enogu must be totally dry before they can be painted over with another colour, and it is difficult to mix colours because of differences in the weight and size of the particles. In modern times many Japanese painters use synthetically produced mineral-based paints called shin-iwa-enogu 新岩絵具 or jinzou-iwa-enogu 人造岩絵具. Paints made from earth materials are also known as doro-enogu 泥絵具.

REFERENCES:

EXTERNAL LINKS:

NOTES:

(C)2001 Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System.　No reproduction or republication without written permission. 掲載のテキスト・写真・イラストなど、全てのコンテンツの無断複製・転載を禁じます。