Bodhidharma in a Sweeping Ink Robe
Sold – no longer available
This piece was a handmade one-of-a-kind work. It cannot be reordered and will never exist in this form again. The page stays online as part of our archive.
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Details about the sold piece
- Height 130 cm
- Width 53 cm
- Item Type Kakemono
- Jikusaki Wood
- Material Honshi Paper
- Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
- Technique Hand-Painted
- Unique Work Yes
- Wooden Box Yes
No longer available
Description
With a few powerful brushstrokes, the head of Bodhidharma, the legendary founder of Zen Buddhism, is captured in this ink painting – his penetrating gaze and striking facial features suggest the intense meditative power attributed to the monk. A sweeping, calligraphic line frames the figure like a robe, uniting image and characters into a harmonious whole.
This type of Zenga painting, in which religious figures are depicted with spontaneous, immediate brushwork, was especially popular among Buddhist monks and calligraphers and was meant to convey the essence of spiritual insight in just a few strokes. Accompanying characters and a red seal complete the depiction.
Executed on paper with wooden roller ends, this work dates from the Shôwa period and is delivered including a wooden box. An impressive hanging scroll for anyone who is enthusiastic about the reduced expressive power of Zen painting.
