Past Exhibitions
- Buddhist Paintings by Legendary Artists
- June 13, 2017 - July 23, 2017
Since ancient times, numerous Buddhist paintings from China have found their way to Japan. Some have signs and seals indicating their artists, but many more are anonymous. This is partially due to mass production in painting workshops, notably in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, which was a center of trade with Japan. After their arrival in Japan, however, many of these paintings were retroactively attributed to legendary painters such as Tang dynasty portrait artist Wu Daozi (680–c.760) or Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) Ningbo painter Zhang Sigong. In this gallery, we are pleased to present a variety of Buddhist paintings that, in Japan, were ascribed to such famous painters. These include depictions of disciples of the Buddha, or arhats (Ch: luohan), which were actually created by multiple painters in workshops using division of labor.
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