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so much Western art, and inward, toward the mind and spiritual
experiences of the painter. Naturally, this resulted in Zen painting
being far more abstract in nature from its very conception. Early
works done in the style of “Sumi-e” are simple, black ink over white
surfaces, and also emphasize simple forms not too unlike the works
of some of the abstract expressionists whom they would eventually
inspire.

AA modern interpretation of "Sumi-e" taken from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=wETQY4PDlVA&index=2&t=0s&list=PL7ufuKgqY0XcflT5XheysQoBr4O7UOQFw
Zen as a way of faith and as guidance in art encouraged both
presence and spontaneity, which is reflected in the works of the
abstract expressionists, but also had a more subtle influence on the
composition of artwork. In Western art, there is an important
emphasis put on positive and negative space. Positive space can
be seen as any section of a visual work that is clearly encompassed
with a form or shape, and negative space can be seen as any
empty formlessness that surrounds positive space. As Schenken
describes, The Heart Sutra claims that, “Form is emptiness,
emptiness is form.” This opened the eyes of the western painter to
a totally new perspective on composition wherein no space on the
canvas is meant to be seen as either void or filled with a specific
subject. This was also a revolutionary approach to art and is
perhaps most clearly reflected in Rothko’s colourfield paintings. To
this day, even so-called “modern art” invites the viewer to question
what constitutes a form in art and what might be represented
visually in the absence of form. Zen continues to be relevant to art
— even if that weird art stresses you out!