THE HISTORY OF EBRU ART
An Ancient Traditional Art of Painting on Water
VIDEO: https://av.tib.eu/media/23284
Ebru art is an ancient art form that originated in East Asia. In Japan, marbled papers have been documented since the 9th century. From Japan, this art spread to Central Asia among Turkic peoples. In Istanbul, it flourished in the 16th century. Today, only a few artists can still apply these traditional techniques. Ebru artist Arzu Adak is one of the few who still master this craft. Watching Arzu Adak, surrounded by numerous pots of colors and special brushes, creating unique and wonderful shapes and flowers on water, one can feel the meditative effect of this ancient art. For this reason, it is also used for therapeutic purposes.
Very special materials are used for Ebru painting. Both the colors and tools, as well as the "canvas," are usually handmade by Ebru masters. The image is created on a slightly thickened composition of water and tragacanth (or carrageenan moss). Pure natural colors (pigments or earth colors) are used. The colors stay on the surface of the water thanks to "ox gall," which also prevents them from mixing with each other. Once the desired image is finished, a sheet is carefully placed on the image, and within seconds, the image transfers to the sheet. It is simply fascinating.
On this website "www.arzuadak.de," you can find some images by Ebru artist Arzu Adak. Each piece is unique. In Ebru, it is not possible to paint the same picture again. "Ebru" means something like "cloud" and essentially describes the dance of colors on the water. The Ebru water is prepared several days before painting. It is filtered through a textile sieve before use. The container holding the water is usually made of stainless steel, but traditionally, it was also made from pine wood.
For tools, brushes are used, which are handmade by Ebru masters from the tail hair of horses and bound to rosewood handles. The combs and needles used for painting are made of metal or glass. Of course, every experienced Ebru master has their own mixtures and secrets, which are only passed down to their students.
The foundation of an Ebru artwork is the marbled background. Various colors are applied to the water in the form of fine and ultra-fine splatters using rosewood brushes.