Notan: Staring at the sun

A pixel landscape generated in Processing4, part of the Notan collection.

Notan is the underlying abstract framework of dark and light values, upon which you build the value structure of a painting. The arrangement of darks, lights, and grays, regardless of the colors used, creates an impression of beauty. It derives from two words that refer to the amount of ink you use for a pen and ink wash drawing. Nong( 浓 ) meaning thick, strong, concentrated, and Dan (淡) means weak, watery. Hence, the term ‘Notan’ literally means concentrated/weak.”