Giant Daruma 1912

Nakahara Nantenbo created this ink painting of Giant Daruma with forceful brushstrokes that must have come from deep within. I see a kind of back and forth as he was working, figuring out this character. First, he lays down the overall composition of the figure and text, maybe searching for the right form, scraping the paper, wiping, re-adjusting. Then, he comes in with a darker ink to define the features of the face with a few bold strokes, giving it a comedic and slightly unsettling expression. The way he has painted the line that turns into a beard, it’s like a wild, untamed gesture, full of raw energy. When I look at this, I think about other painters and how their work resonates with Nantenbo’s spirit of experimentation. Like Picasso, maybe? I guess what I’m trying to say is that artists borrow and steal and reimagine from each other. Art is one big conversation. There’s no final word, just endless possibilities.