Contrary to the visual language of the West, which is centred on gaze and vision, and the continuous attempt to describe the world with objective tools, the elitist visual language of East Asia originated from the writing system and the use of ink as means for self-expression, and interpretation of the seen world. In the offered seminar we shall consider the history of the line – its history and creation, and the use of calligraphy in its different styles, the penetration of brushwork to the centre of visual creativity, the different styles and schools created alongside with the rise of the brush to become a central means of creativity. We shall examine the landscape painting tradition, and the birds-an-flowers tradition; the Northern and Southern Schools; we shall discuss the cultural and political context, the debates around the nature of Literati vs. Spontaneous paintings; the passage to Japanese and the development of Japanese painting styles; Monk painters and later traditions (Ming and Qing); and the changes throughout the 20^th and 21^st centuries thought the encounter with Western traditions.