Temple in the Evening Mist
Ink on paper
Temple in the Evening Mist
CHINA; Southern Song dynasty
Part of the set Eight Views of Xiaoxiang, this painting is attributed to the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279) monastic painter Muxi. Eight Views of Xiaoxiang was originally a single long scroll but was cut into sections after it was brought to Japan. The seal of Doyu is stamped in the lower left corner of this painting. It once belonged to the collection of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and subsequently passed through the hands of the warlord Oda Nobunaga, the Tokugawa clan, and the Maeda clan. It was listed as a National Treasure of Japan in 1954.
Most of the painting is empty. Trees and the roof of a temple, delicately painted with washed ink, rise from the mist. The lack of clear delineation lends them a mysterious, ethereal appearance. Distant forms appear within nothingness, hinting at profound Chan themes.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Painting P-Z, page 895.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Youlu and Wilson, Graham and Manho and Mankuang and Huntington, Susan,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Painting P-Z},
pages = 895,
title = {{Temple in the Evening Mist}},
volume = 16,
year = {2016}}