Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 10 : Record of press coverage, March 1982 - May 1984

by its art ?W South Wales that tor the co~cept of bujl was commented upon as early as the 8th century when It wa lden– tlfied with mushin or "no-mindedness - no mind In work, no work In mind". Zen theology was 11rlncipally concerned with the seeking of en• lightcnment through cx- 11erlence ancl the manl– festatlon of Zen thought In art., whether It be painting, calligraphy, poetry or music Inevita– bly embodies the ob– scure and the Intangible. Any Zen expression Is ultlmately explicit but It Is by nature Imprecise. Once ave.In u,c origins or Zen lie In China, Dur– ing the Song dynasty (10th-12th ,centuries) In South Chinn n distinc– tive, contemplative school of Duddtsm devel– oped which wns less con– cerned with adhering to the formal Iconographic traditions of the Bud– dhist church and sought Lo rclBte that Ideology to the human ex1icrlcnce and In particular the humnn experience re– lated through philoso– phy, art and literature. Zen thus became more or a philosophy, mnnlf– cstln11 Its thoughts ancl Ideals not throul(h Icons but through Intensely personal artistic exprl's• slon. PcrhaJ>S the most readily Identifiable form or the visual arts of Japan L, the foldlnR screen or bJlobu. One~ again Lhe~rlIns of the folding sc ' ·.a.s a·serv– lceable dlvld' of,:;pl\ces fhether to · :provide a morn or wlt.l1tn,& ~oom lie In China. Dut, qn~ again too, the concept developed In Japan and became a dllltlnctlve and totally Identifiable trndl· tlon of Japan. No less than 12 pairs of screens and one single example are to be Included In the forthcoming exhibition. Most dlsUnctlve and evocative arc those broadly within the UO· mato•e (truly Japanese) style with their strong colors, clear definition. often deliberate asy– rnetrlcal design and rtch gold bnckl(l'ounds. As es– sentially functlonnl Items, painted screens did not generally seek to relate philosophical or religous themes but were purely decorative. As such they became ve• hlcles for the Illustration of historical events such ns the "Battle Scene of the Rival Clans: OenJI and Helke," or documen• tary theses such as the fosclnatlng "Namban" (Southern Barbarian) pair showing the arrival of a 1>0rtugcse ship and her crew, or pure and Isolated luxury a., In the beautiful "Tngasodc" (Whosr ·sleeves?) screens in which brightly colored kimonos hnnglnl( over a clothes rntl arr painted against a gold background. Refll'ctlng that same taste for the exotic but rendered In n perhaps more prosaic manner are works In the uo-c tradition. Ukfuo-c Iller• ally translated means "pictures of the lloatlng world" and was an Edo period (160().1868) school or painting concerned with the repres1•ntatlon of beauties from the plea.sure quarters or the caplt.al city Edo. modem Tokyo. The women IU'C Invariably painted l\S p1aJcstlc In their ores• ence and demeanor and austere In their solitude but drawn with firm def~ lnlte black brushstrokes ancl clothed In richly colored kimonos. Such paintings represent the highest Ideals of the concept of feminine beauty In 17th-18th cen– tury Japan. The ukiuo-e tradition has been immortalised In a million woodblock prints b'ut finds Its finest expression· In the paint– ings of such artists as Kalgetsudo Ando (early 18th century), Miyagawa Choshun (1683-1753) and Utagawa Toyokunl (1769-1825). Toyokunl's lleauti, Hat>ing a Smoke summarises the Ideals of the uktuo•c tradition whilst hinting so deli– cately nt the decadence that lies Just beneath the surface of the "float– ing world". The arts of Japan are a.s sensational In their style, color and, at times, eccentricity as tiny (geo– graphically) Japan's con– temporary economic might. If actions, and art, clo speak louder than words. then take heed of a Zen haiku poem: tu":~n11 words injure vir- Wordlcs.mess Lt eS!en• tia/111 c/fcctive. ODO Japan: Masterp~ces of the ldnnitsu Collection, the first major exhibi– tion of Japanese art to be held In Austre.lla, will be shown In Brlllbane Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne from June 1982 to June 1983. Edited by MARIA PRERAU