Mending Clothes by Daylight Unidentified artist calligraphy datable to 1240s This austere image of a monk mending his robes in the sunlight is an exceptionally important example of “apparition painting,” an artistic type that emerged in the monasteries of Chan (Japanese: Zen) Buddhism during the twelfth century. Chan doctrine teaches that all images are illusory, and paintings such as these, in which ink is applied so lightly that the picture seems to flicker and fade before the viewer’s eyes, are among the most eloquent artistic manifestations of that belief. Using dilute ink for most of the

Mending Clothes by Daylight Unidentified artist calligraphy datable to 1240s This austere image of a monk mending his robes in the sunlight is an exceptionally important example of “apparition painting,” an artistic type that emerged in the monasteries of Chan (Japanese: Zen) Buddhism during the twelfth century. Chan doctrine teaches that all images are illusory, and paintings such as these, in which ink is applied so lightly that the picture seems to flicker and fade before the viewer’s eyes, are among the most eloquent artistic manifestations of that belief. Using dilute ink for most of the picture, the artist has applied dark tones only to the eyes of the main figure and the needle in his hand, imparting special emphasis to these key narrative and emotive elements. The result is a painting that appears indistinct at first but is revealed upon closer examination to be alive with intensity. The brushwork is assured and steady; see, for instance, the fine line that indicates the single thread hanging from the monk’s needle, executed in a single stroke and with a minute dip to indicate the pull of gravity. The face of the monk, rendered with supreme economy of brushwork, captures a sense of concentration and humanity. All of these factors combine to make this an eloquent expression of the playful, elegant minimalism of medieval Chan Buddhist painting’s importance is significantly enhanced by the presence of an inscription by Chijue Daochong (1169–1250), one of the most prominent Chan abbots of the thirteenth century. From 1219 until his death in 1250, Chijue held a succession of powerful abbacies in the power centers of Chan Buddhism, including Lingyin Monastery in Hangzhou and Tiantong Monastery in the Taibai Mountains of Shaanxi Province; the signature on this inscription locates him in Shaanxi, so it must have been written during his time there, from 1239 to 1249. In Chan Buddhism, calligraphy by a prominent monk was seen to be invested with th

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