Zen-schildering en kalligrafie 1750 - 1837

Editor: Here we have a Zen painting and calligraphy piece by Sengai, likely created sometime between 1750 and 1837. It’s an ink drawing, very minimal and evocative. I find the starkness of the ink against the neutral background quite powerful. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: For me, it’s all about the labor and materials. Consider the paper: its quality, how it's made, and how that texture interacts with the ink. Also, the ink itself—where did the pigment come from? What kind of tools did Sengai use to apply it? The creation isn't just an aesthetic experience, it’s about the physical act and available resources. Editor: So, you’re less interested in the supposed meaning, and more in the how and the what of its making? Curator: Exactly! How did the social conditions of 18th-century Japan influence the availability of materials like the specific paper, and what kind of patronage system did Sengai engage with? Was he producing this work for the market or for personal use within his religious community? Knowing the materiality helps reveal how it fits within its society and economy. Editor: That makes me consider the repetitive brushstrokes; are they uniform in pressure, consistent in tone, suggesting a skilled artisan mindful of output? Curator: Good question. Can we tell anything from the application method about his possible level of "mass production"? Or about his relationship with potential customers for such items? What constitutes 'high art' versus a 'product' here? Editor: Thinking about the materials and the labor really reframes the work. It moves beyond simple aesthetics to explore cultural contexts. Curator: Indeed, it encourages questioning the established boundaries and challenges art as a concept rooted only in “creativity”. Instead, we may find that production reveals the real value.