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Follower of Hanabusa Itchô (?), 1652-1724
Demons and Ghosts
About 1700
Although Japanese painters explored themes
and aesthetics that were often lofty and refined, the traditions
in which they worked were not entirely humorless. Zen painters,
in particular, were known for a playfulness that sometimes bordered
on irreverence. Little is known about the artist of this hand
scroll, but the work seems to fit the Zen mode. Most of the subjects
depicted in this work were regarded as auspicious for one reason
or another, but the artist seems intent on lampooning them. Depictions
of Shoki, the Demon Queller were often hung as talisman to ward
off evil. Here, he is shown being mocked by the very demons he
is supposed to subdue. In the next scene, three travelers with
a telescope use the elongated head of Fukurokuju, one of the
Seven Gods of Good Fortune, as a viewing platform. The quick,
sketch-like style of brushwork the artist uses throughout this
scroll enhances the lighthearted treatment of these subjects.
Ackland Art Museum, The University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gift of Ruth and Sherman Lee,
98.30.3
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