For many years, paintings were used to decorate and adorn the walls of homes, galleries and offices as an expression of one's education and culture in

Another trend that occurred in the past several years is the use of oriental pictures on functional pieces in modern life. The more popular is the paper fan and umbrella, another is the bamboo window shade, and even t-shirts and other pieces of clothing have print reproductions of Mt. Fuji or a Zen Buddhist temple.

The development of fashion in the past decade was inspired greatly by Asian artists, more particularly Japan artists, as the leading source of creative use of materials and textures. Even dress material is hand-painted with subjects of bamboo, open lakes and young geishas in their kimonos.

Nowadays, think oriental pictures and you immediately draw a peaceful place in your mind. Enter a spa and you see nothing but Zen themes around you. What do these mean? It means that the tastes of the Orient are reaching out to you.