Zen Art: Painting Analysis

Katach (“form and design”) is the Japanese word that best translates the concept of “art”. A word which implies that “art is synonymous with living, functional purpose, and spiritual simplicity” (Walkup). Zen Art is by its nature spiritual as it was “done not by professional artists, but by Zen monks and nuns who spent extremely disciplined lives of meditation, in a search for enlightenment and awakening to the true nature of reality”(Sweet). The core foundation of the art-form is the belief that the true character as well as the level of spiritual realization of the monk or nun were transposed into the painting itself. The painting style employed in Katach was very quick and evocative, as its main focus was on the inherent nature of the aesthetic …show more content…
Formalized under the name of Chan, the teachings of Daruma’s Chinese disciples were well received by traveling Japanese monks whom ultimately introduced them in Japan during the latter time-frame of the Kamakura era (1185 -1333). Received with great enthusiasm by the people, “especially by the samurai class that wielded political power at this time” (Ford 33), Zen quickly became the most prominent form of Buddhism, having a great influence on the development of Japanese culture and eventually becoming a core of Japan’s both spiritual and aesthetic foundation. Zen Buddhism, as a way of understanding human nature, as a doctrine as well as a way of life, is clearly removed from the Western school of thought. Depending “more on intuition perceived by individual sensibility than on logical recognition conceived by language and reason” (Hijikata & O’Duffy), the Zen discipline or “way” presents itself as a cultural philosophy competent to form a new type of utopia, one that is not jaded and guides us to “seek enlightenment without distinctions of race, religion, gender, economic or political class” ( Hijikata & …show more content…
The graphic, black ink contrasting the paper or silk, acts as a map that reflects the state of the artist in the moment of creation, and as a guide for the viewers to open themselves to the present moment both visually and intellectually. Although the preferred portrayed subjects were initially Zen patriarchs, teachers, and enlightened individuals, the range of subject matter eventually broadened to include themes such as bamboo, flowering plums, orchids, birds and gibbons. Reflecting the Japanese sensibility for nature, it is suggested that by capturing “the eternal qualities of the object, which is in itself a work of natural art, before the artist arrives on the scene” (Lieberman), anything may be painted, or expressed in the spirit and aesthetic of Zen. The essential element of Zen (Zen meaning "meditation") speaks to the nature of the creative process involved in the practice of katach. The brush strokes on either paper or silk cannot be corrected, and something as indiscernible as a momentary lack of confidence will make itself visible in the work. Therefore, the artist has only one chance to create and must concentrate, clear one's mind and allow the brush strokes to flow out of themselves. Surpassing technique, the meditative contemplation practiced in the attempt of attaining full understanding of the nature or reality, is the most crucial