Zen Calligraphy "Enso" in Bold Brushstrokes
Sold – no longer available
This piece was handmade by Obaku and was a 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 114 cm
- Width 61 cm
- Item Type Kakemono
- Jikusaki Wood
- Material Honshi Paper
- Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
- Technique Hand-Painted
- Unique Work Yes
No longer available
Description
A single, powerfully drawn brush circle dominates this hanging scroll: the enso, the symbol of emptiness, of perfection, and of Zen Buddhism itself. The circle is not fully closed, which in the Zen tradition is interpreted as a deliberate expression of imperfection and eternal movement. Next to the brushstroke, a red seal is placed at the right edge of the image, lending the meditative picture a personal signature.
The work is executed on paper, bears the signature and stamp of Obaku, and was created in the Shôwa period. The jikusaki made of wood blends unobtrusively into the overall plain design of the hanging scroll, reduced to its essentials. Enso depictions are among the best-known motifs of Zen calligraphy and are traditionally executed in a single, uncorrectable brushstroke.
Precisely because of its reduction to the essential, this hanging scroll is particularly well suited to modern as well as traditional living spaces, and to anyone with an enthusiasm for Zen philosophy, calligraphy, or minimalist Japanese art.
