On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
“One Hundred Flowers of Spring”
Ryōkan Taigu Japanese
Ryōkan Taigu’s calligraphic composition features just three Chinese characters—rendered in wild, hypercursive script—from a familiar Zen koan, a question posed to provoke contemplation toward enlightenment. As with all Zen koans, there is no immediately obvious answer, but in the process of breaking down the rational thought process, the possibility of spiritual enlightenment arises. The complete koan reads:
百花春至為誰開
When spring arrives, for whom
do the hundred flowers bloom?
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