Not a detailed book on practical instruction but an INVALUABLE & INSIGHTFUL GUIDE in text & verbosity, structured around western thought processes to broach and address eastern brush art subjects - a gallant attempt to handhold the western art enthusiasts through an explorative journey into the very soul and psyche of eastern (in this case chinese and japanese) brush art. The text is supported by a wealth of illustrations - artwork through the centuries of Chinese civilisation (about 300 in all), mostly in black and white (as are ink painting), from Shang Dynasty through to the modern era. Illustrations of painting techniques provided by Pu, a contemporary of the author and famed artist of the then emerging Lingnan Painting School.The approach and focus differs from the Mustard Seed book (which is purely instructional) - this book analyses existing masterpieces through the ages and gets into different techniques used and the soul behind the painting - in itself I've found highly informative and enlightening. I agree that the illustrations would have been better served in colour. But to be fair a large proportion of chinese art is in b&w and the prints here are clear in their various shades of grey.What made me buy the book? ... The Look Inside allowed me a peek into the very beckoning thought processes at play structured rather well around a Table of Contents which drew me!This is written with the outsider (non traditional chinese) or westerner who has no intimate background of eastern thought and philosophy in mind, who will undoubtedly find this a fascinating and highly enlightening read. Texts can get a little repetitive in its verbosity in parts akin an old german professor repeating himself but nevertheless tre interessant and I'm sure quite uber!A bold gallant attempt to present his distilled findings from 54 years of research findings. Brilliant.