The Art of Zen: Paintings and Calligraphy by Japanese Monks 1600-1925

Zen, the practice of seeking and achieving enlightenment, is embodied in art forms as diverse as sand gardens and tea ceremonies. However, the attempt to artistically express the inexpressible finds one of its clearest manifestations in painting. Especially after 1600, more and more Japanese Zen masters began depicting their individual paths to enlightenment with bold, inked brushstrokes of images and calligraphy of Zen subjects and sayings. The result was a visual expression of Zen called ...