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

Stephen Addiss (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 223 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810927748
• ISBN-13: 978-0810927742
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,409,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen Addiss is Tucker-Boatwright Professor of the Humanities and Professor of Art at the University of Richmond in Virginia, United States. He has exhibited his ink paintings and calligraphy in Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, England, France, Germany, and in many venues in the United States. He is also the author or co-author of more than 30 books and catalogues about East Asian art, including "Old Taoist," "Tao Te Ching." "The Art of Zen," "Tall Mountains and Flowing Waters," "Haiga: Haiku-Painting," "Zen Sourcebook," "and "How to Look at Japanese Art."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Art of Zen: Paintings & Calligraphy by Japanese Monks, July 11, 2000

By 

Marie Taylor - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Zen: Paintings and Calligraphy by Japanese Monks 1600-1925 (Paperback)

"The Art of Zen" is a beautiful, beautiful book and has taken its place on my read-again-and-again bookshelf. The 200+ page book is not only packed with the history of zen in Japan as exemplified by the major zen monk artists but complemented by many examples of their art. The history is divided into seven major periods that discussed the political and cultural climate of Japan as well as the philosophic perspective of Zen Buddhism.

There are extensive biographies of each of the major monk artists with examples of the work and, often times, their poetry. For example, the death poem of Ryonen, one of zen nuns, reads, "In the autumn of my 66th year, I've already lived a long time- The intense moonlight is bright upon my face. There's no need to discuss the principles of koan study; Just listen carefully to the wind outside the pines and cedars."

In addition, Addis brings an artist's eye to the paintings and his commentaries on technique, execution and innovation are enlightening (no pun intended)and help to explain how zen seeks to express the "inexpressible."

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Zen, in art, in the Japanese culture or with a desire to better understand the view of life seen by awakened men and women.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another wonderful book by Addiss!, April 22, 2004

By 

Hortensia Anderson "Hortensia Anderson" (nyc, ny, usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Zen: Paintings and Calligraphy by Japanese Monks 1600-1925 (Paperback)

This collection of zen masterpieces is one that you
will return to again and again. Addiss has managed
to cover the history of Japanese zen through ample
biographies of zen artists with numerous samples
of their painting and calligraphy. The book itself has
the wonderful ability to capture the spirit of zen and
Addiss, himself a marvelous artist and writer,
inspires readers with experiences of enlightenment
in just over 200 pages.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspired and Inspiring, November 29, 2009

By 

Lynda Gail Campbell "Journal freak" (Fayetteville, AR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Art of Zen: Paintings and Calligraphy by Japanese Monks 1600-1925 (Hardcover)

This book brings alive the arduous process behind true enlightenment and the desire to share it through image. Zenga and the masters who created it inspire me to deepen my own spiritual practice and to express my insights reverently through my own art.