牧溪特展：The Heart of Zen 禅心之境

面对现实的动荡难测，许多人会向禅宗和艺术寻求内心的安宁与智慧。

镰仓时期社会变革不断的日本，佛教盛行，在与中华文化的频繁交流中，他们看到了同时期的画僧牧溪。牧溪的许多作品在这一时期流入了日本。

生活于南宋的画僧牧溪，也称作蜀僧法常，他深受禅宗思想的熏陶，不拘泥古法新规，融合文人画的意境与禅宗的哲理，以禅者之心书画着生命中的百转千回、玲珑剔透、无边自在。

作为那个时代的逆行者，牧溪的画作远离红尘，常以山野寻常之物为题，不为当时崇尚富贵高雅的南宋主流所喜。「诚非雅玩，仅可僧房道舍，以助清幽耳」（元《画继补遗》）。

但仅凭信笔点墨，都能非常写实逼真，同时兼得清幽简净之笔墨意趣，正说明牧溪对水墨艺术有极高的造诣，天赋惊人。「其状物写生，殆出天巧。不惟肖似形类并得其意」（明代鉴藏家项元汴语）。

《六柿图》展期：2023年11月17日—12月10日；

《栗子》展期：2023年12月8日—12月31日；

 

Facing the turbulence and uncertainty of reality, many people seek inner peace and wisdom from Zen and art.
In Japan during the Kamakura period, when social changes were constant and Buddhism was prevalent, they saw the contemporary painter-monk Muqi in their frequent exchanges with Chinese culture. Many of Muqi’s works entered Japan during this period.

Muqi, also known as Fachang of Shu-monk, was a painter-monk who lived in the Southern Song Dynasty. He was deeply influenced by Zen thought, not bound by ancient rules or new regulations, and integrated the artistic conception of literati painting with the philosophy of Zen. He painted the twists and turns, the exquisite and transparent, and the boundless freedom of life with the heart of a Zen practitioner.

As a rebel of that era, Muqi’s paintings were far away from the mundane world, often taking ordinary things in the mountains and fields as subjects, not pleasing the mainstream of the Southern Song Dynasty that admired wealth and elegance. “It is not a refined plaything, only suitable for monk’s rooms and Taoist abodes, to help the tranquility” (Yuan Dynasty “Painting Continuation Supplement”).

But with just a brush and ink, he could be very realistic and vivid, and also have the ink charm of tranquility and simplicity, which shows that Muqi had a very high level of attainment and talent in ink art. “His portrayal of things is lifelike, almost out of heavenly skill. Not only does he resemble the forms and types, but also captures their essence” (Xiang Yuanbian, a connoisseur of the Ming Dynasty).

In 2023, the special exhibition “The Heart of Zen” was held at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, USA, and only two ink masterpieces were exhibited throughout the exhibition-Muqi’s “Persimmons (popularly known as “Six Persimmons”) ” and “Chestnuts”, also known as “Persimmon and Chestnut Painting”.
These two ink paintings were painted by Muqi in China in the 13th century, and entered Japan across the sea in the 15th and 16th centuries. They were donated to the Daitokuji Ryokoin Zen temple in Kyoto in the early 17th century, and were treasured for centuries. They are regarded as outstanding examples of Zen painting and highly respected. The opportunity for the first visit to the United States originated from Kobori Geppo, the abbot of Ryokoin Zen temple. He visited the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco in 2017 and paid attention to the local vulnerable groups-those who suffer from addiction, disease and homelessness. In the end, he decided to share his temple’s collection of Muqi’s “Persimmon and Chestnut Painting” in San Francisco to relieve the suffering of the world.
It must be admitted that this “origin(pratītya-samutpāda)” is very “contemporary”.

The exhibition was co-curated by Laura Allen, curator of the Asian Art Museum, and Yuki Morishima, in collaboration with Daitokuji Ryokoin Zen temple in Kyoto. During the exhibition, “Six Persimmons” and “Chestnuts” were displayed separately:
“Six Persimmons” exhibition period: November 17-December 10, 2023;
“Chestnuts” exhibition period: December 8-December 31, 2023;
The two works only have a short three-day joint exhibition opportunity from December 8th to December 10th, but the world is not perfect, and where can everything be satisfactory? Any art is just a tool, the real purpose is to let the viewers avoid the troubles, observe their own hearts, and feel more freedom.

The whole exhibition aims to create a quiet environment, to convey Muqi’s insight into the world, to share the spaciousness and clarity of his life, and to hope that the audience can experience the two works in person, and thereby gain the power of life, and touch the state of harmony and tranquility in their hearts.
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