This is unique genre of art in all possibilities! This is special art found in Asian countries including Japan, China, Korea, India & neighbor countries, Vietnam and other countries of South Asia.

An art based on plant which has 91 genres and 1000 species. Other than being the main food of the Giant Panda; it is artistic too. That’s “Bamboo”. And bamboo art is known for its multiple forms and techniques spreaded across Asia.

Either draw bamboo or draw on bamboo – in all forms it is awesome and natural. Throughout Asia, the bamboo motif has been used since ancient times in paintings, scrolls, pottery, and other art forms.

Weaving Cultural with Bamboo

• Bamboo is widely integrated in all culture in one or other way.
• Bamboo's long life makes it a Chinese symbol of longevity.
• In India Bamboo is a symbol of friendship.
• In Japan, a bamboo forest sometimes surrounds a Shinto shrine as part of a sacred barrier against evil.
• A Vietnamese proverb says: "When the bamboo is old, the bamboo sprouts appear", theaning being Vietnam will never be annihilated; if the previous generation dies, as the children take their place. Therefore the Vietnamese tradition will be maintained and developed eternally.

This clearly shows bamboo is plant which is known sacred and lucky for people of Asia.

Chinese Bamboo Painting

After development of landscape painting techniques in Sung period, (960-1279), and during Mongol-formed Yuan dynasty, (1280-1368) artists became more and more preoccupied with the effects of individual brush strokes either alone or in carefully studied combinations. Painting and calligraphy drew together than ever before.

This marriage of arts found its ultimate expression with the perfection of a special branch of Chinese art - Bamboo Painting. In this art the bamboo became the favorite theme.
 
An admiration to the point of worship is Chinese’s respect for the bamboo plant as a symbol for the "superior man" who, like the plant, would bend with prevailing winds but not break.

In other words, the ideal man adapted himself to life as demanded by society but did not permit his spirit or integrity to be snapped by it. Bamboo painting is closer to calligraphy than any other art form and is so extremely stylized that a special flexible, pointed brush is used so that each leaf may spring to life with one deft stroke.

Reference: 

Michael Batterberry, Chinese & Oriental Art, McGraw-Hill, 1968. 
http://www.the-gallery-of-china.com/chinese-bamboo-painting.html

Vietnam’s Bamboo Art Painting

Bamboo is one of the oldest materials known in Vietnam. Vietnam’s artists portray diverse subjects using the vibrant shades of green and yellow bamboo. The background is the stitching of very fine bamboo sticks. Two scrolls are the natural frame for the paintings.

Bamboo-painting is distinct from other art forms because it uses an embossment technique. Convex pieces of bamboo are symmetrically placed on the plane surface to create a relief-work. Using traditional technology, a wide variety of colors can be made and preserved by Vietnamese artists. This makes the painting natural, vivid and highly artistic.

This an original type of Vietnamese artwork that reflect the spirit of the country. The paintings are produce entirely by hand and materials are treated by chemical, physical and mechanical methods. The bamboo pieces are tested with sudden temperature changes from 0-7 degree to ensure their durability. This process makes the paintings able to support any climatic condition.

Technique

• Differently, the Smoked Bamboo paintings are made by scraping and scratching on the background. 
• The bamboo is generally cut into 1m to 1.5m; soak in the water for 3 months to prevent moles.
• Bamboo are scraped and dried, then smoked on the fire for 6 days.
• Bamboos are polished by rice husks, and then were smoked for one more day to get the yellow-brown color.
• After that, bamboos are sliced by different thin bars according to the sizes of the paintings.
• The artist uses the knife to scratch on the background.
• The paintings have two tons of colors: white and brown.
• Brown color is the smoked bamboo's color; white color is the color of scraped bamboo. The color and change from light to dark under the artist's knife.

A bamboo-painting is a precious and unique Vietnamese souvenir.

Reference:
Vietnam Producing and Developing Handmade Products Company Limited
http://www.vietnameseartwork.com/Asian_Oriental/Art/VietnameseBambooPaintings.htm

Indian Bamboo Mat Painting

Bamboo mat painting is known as traditional art of Kerala.

Making of Bamboo Mat Painting

• The work is first initiated by placing the correct size of mat which is utilized as a canvas for the painting.
• Then the basic coating is done on the mat which is then followed by the design on it.
• It is believed by the artist that to work on this surface the artist or the craft person has to put in a lot of concentration and work with peace mind as compared to the other paintings.
• In these bamboo mat paintings the craftsman depicts religious images, images of the birds and animals, human images as well as capture beauty of nature.
• Much of these are highlighted with all the possible colors available to give a natural look.
• The artists design all these paintings in different sizes which give a very colorful and decent look that is beautifully presented in appealing bamboo reed frames

Reference: 
http://www.craftandartisans.com/bamboo-mat-painting-of-kerala.html

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