“Kanzan” (Hanshan)

1966

Not on view

The explosive brushwork of this oversize composition straddles the realms of calligraphy and abstract art. The inscribed characters—“Kanzan” (Chinese: Hanshan)—refer to an eccentric Chinese monk of the Tang dynasty (618–907), a poet-recluse inseparable from his companion, Jittoku (Chinese: Shide). Across East Asia, Kanzan and Jittoku are revered as ideal models for those seeking spiritual fulfillment through the cultivation of poetry.

Growing up in postwar Japan, Inoue Yūichi struggled to find a personal artistic voice grounded in traditional East Asian calligraphic practice and discovered that he was more inspired by the abstract gestural art advocated by rebellious Japanese and Western artists. Famous Zen phrases—like this one—were an important part of his repertoire as he engaged with the Japanese calligraphy tradition and brought it into the modern era.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

井上有一書　「寒山」
Title: “Kanzan” (Hanshan)
Artist: Inoue Yūichi (Japanese, 1916–1985)
Period: Showa period (1926–89)
Date: 1966
Culture: Japan
Medium: Panel; ink on Japanese paper
Dimensions: Image: 95 × 48 3/4 in. (241.3 × 123.8 cm)
Overall with mounting: 8 ft. 3 1/4 in. × 53 in. × 3 1/4 in. (252.1 × 134.6 × 8.3 cm)
Classification: Calligraphy
Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 2014
Object Number: 2014.515
Rights and Reproduction: © Unagami Masaomi
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

Audio

2088. "Kanzan" (Cold Mountain)

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