Many cultures have influenced Japan’s art, but it has distinct characteristics such as elegance in form and design. Japanese art honors nature’s splendor as seen in many landscape gardens, woodblock prints, and sculptures. Koi fish are often found in Japanese meditative landscape gardens. Students studied the history of the carp, or koi in Japanese. Originating in central Asia, Japanese farmers began keeping them for aesthetics in the 1800s. Over the years, koi fish meaning and symbolism has become iconic around the world. After sketching their koi fish on drawing paper, students used ink brush pens and colored pencils to create their work.
