Bodhidharma crossing the Yangzi River on a reed before 1317 Li Yaofu Chinese Bodhidharma was the legendary Indian patriarch who brought Chan Buddhism to China. After an unsuccessful audience with the Chinese emperor Liang Wudi (r. 502–49), Bodhidharma “broke off a reed, crossed the Yangzi River, and proceeded to the Shaolin Temple [on Mount Song in Henan Province].”This painting is signed by Li Yaofu, whose name appears only in Japanese records, and is inscribed by Yishan Yining, the renowned Chinese missionary who went in 1299 to Japan. There, Yishan served as abbot of temples in Kamakura and
Bodhidharma crossing the Yangzi River on a reed before 1317 Li Yaofu Chinese Bodhidharma was the legendary Indian patriarch who brought Chan Buddhism to China. After an unsuccessful audience with the Chinese emperor Liang Wudi (r. 502–49), Bodhidharma “broke off a reed, crossed the Yangzi River, and proceeded to the Shaolin Temple [on Mount Song in Henan Province].”This painting is signed by Li Yaofu, whose name appears only in Japanese records, and is inscribed by Yishan Yining, the renowned Chinese missionary who went in 1299 to Japan. There, Yishan served as abbot of temples in Kamakura and Kyoto until his death. The inscription reads:Crossing rivers and deserts he the emperor he confessed, “I don’t know”;Unsuccessful, he moved on,His feet treading the mainstream painters followed the style of Li Gonglin (ca. 1049–1106)—that of baimiao, or “white drawing,” executed with a controlled line of uniform thickness—the Chan painter employed a more flexible brush style that combined fine lines with graduated ink-wash strokes in a free expressive manner. Here, the subtle rendering of the face records the holy man’s foreign features and captures the essence of spiritual concentration. Listen to experts illuminate this artwork's story Listen Play or pause #7385. Bodhidharma Crossing the Yangzi River on a Reed Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies We're sorry, the transcript for this audio track is not available at this time. We are working to make it available as soon as Bodhidharma crossing the Yangzi River on a reed. Li Yaofu (Chinese, active ca. 1300). China. before 1317. Hanging scroll; ink on paper. Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). Paintings
Size: 1599px × 4000px
Photo credit: © MET/BOT / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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