Artwork featuring teapots and cups first began as an element in traditional still life's. Since then, the popularity and classic appeal of the subject expanded into the category that is now known today as tea art. However, this art form isn't restricted to still life art anymore.
As with many other subjects, modern artists have taken the traditional depictions of tea accessories and re-invented them into artwork that's stylistically unique and appealing to any audience.
For artists that take a realistic approach to their art, Western teapots and cups have a lot to offer the graphic artist. Because of the variety of china available, these accessories can be painted with many different themes and colors.
However, the most important part of tea art is the beverage itself. The types depicted affects the accessories, color scheme, and even the overall purpose of the work. For example, a painting depicting chai tea would be considerably different than one representing chamomile tea. This is not only because of the inherent qualities of the various teas, but also because certain colors will hint to the viewer what effect the tea will have on their outlook and mood.
The common themes behind tea art is different from other beverage art, such as coffee artwork, but still focuses on the peace and soothing effects associated with drinking warm herbal teas. However, there are far more color schemes available with tea art than with other artwork that depicts warm beverages. This is largely because of the sensory and emotive effects that tea art tries to convey to the viewer. Rather than focusing the color scheme entirely on portraying warmth, like most beverage art, tea art has the advantage of being enough of an icon among warm beverages that very few additional effects are required on the part of the artist to convey that message to the viewer. This leaves the artist free to explore far more diversity and sensory information in their work, which makes this form of art ideal for a variety of decorative options.
