Customer Reviews

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

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"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.

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.

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.