Introduction
When I went to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) on December 15, 2022, I was drawn to a piece of artwork from the Japanese Pavilion. I came upon this composition, titled Immortals, created by the Zen monk Fugai Honko while looking down from the top to the lowest level.
Melodrama is a term that may be used to describe this work of art since it is a spectacular theatrical piece with heightened characters and thrilling situations meant to stir emotions. This masterpiece was crafted in Japan circa 1832, towards the conclusion of the Edo Period. (Hwang 328). Six byobu screens, also known as panel screens, were used to make this work of art. Each screen is divided in half and has three panels on each side. The artwork was produced on paper using ink, color, and gold and was influenced by China, particularly Daoism.
History of the Time the Art Was Crafted
In Japan, the byobu, or Immortals, were formed during the Edo period. The Edo era lasted from 1615 to 1858, when Japan outright forbade Christianity, local Japanese nationals from leaving, and prohibited foreigners from entering Japan, except a few Dutch traders and Chinese merchants. In addition, the Japanese population was beginning to pursue a more conventional way of life, and clear class distinctions, such as those between townsfolk, artists, and merchants, began to emerge (Karpinski 244). The parents planned marriage throughout the Edo era, and the lady had no voice or right to choose who she should marry. Women were forced to work hard, endure horrendous treatment, and obey their spouses and in-laws.
Regeneration Tone and Classical Formula in the Art
The sculpture featured a regeneration theme since Daoist art genuinely ties people and the environment. Daoism’s worship of gods on heavenly mountains and its local quest for immortality explain why this picture has an outdoor/mountain background. In addition, monks usually reside in hilly regions to practice solitude meditation. This would be an additional justification for the foggy mountain scene.
Greek formula has an impact on the work of art. The right side of the screen appears to be higher up in the mountains and has more open space, which is where all the humans want to go. As a Zen monk who lives in the highlands, I also believe that the elevation on the right side of the mountain alludes to the artist’s past. The artwork makes me think of a time in Japanese history when the country was cut off from the rest of the world except for local commerce with China. It explains why Chinese traders were still permitted to enter Japan, which led to China’s influence on this piece of art.
Exciting Part of the Art
This work of art is about absurd creatures that have attained immortality. The art contains a foreground, center ground, backdrop, and lines that provide depth and convey an elevated viewpoint. Additionally, the colors give the figurines a flat, abstract appearance. Since they become a little smaller in the background and center area, the human perspective is rather nicely done for this period. The backdrop Mountains appear natural and farther distant than the foreground humans.
This artwork makes me think of a fusion of the Kano School painting we studied in class with the Haboku Style. The human and animal faces, as well as the fact that they are more detailed than the Haboku style, are inspired by the Kano school. Due to its endless vastness, the left side of the screen makes me think of a southern Chinese countryside. When I first saw this piece of art, I immediately reacted to a painting by Kano Naizen with clouds and gold all around a ship that had been wrecked in the south of Japan, Namban.
The Immortals’ label reads Fugai Honko, who was a Zen monk of the St Sect. Here, Fugai represents the Daoist heaven, the last destination of individuals who have attained immortality. It is a typical topic in Chinese art, and Fugai has decided to depict it with a Chinese-inspired aesthetic. As the heroes of both Zen and Daoism shared the idea that rejecting logic and traditional mental processes would make it easier to achieve enlightenment, Zen painter monks commonly depicted Daoist immortals (Li 72). Heroes of Daoism and Zen paid no attention to conventional social mores; through intensive meditation and communion with nature and one other, they attained the notion of transcendence beyond ordinary and sometimes painful human existence. The artist has successfully conveyed in these screens the emancipated and joyous state of Daoist immortals, as seen by their merry movements and jubilant facial expressions.
Conclusion
Fugai Honko produced the Immortals artwork in Japan in 1832, at the close of the Edo Period. The artwork is located in LACMA and was produced on paper using ink, color, and gold. The Daoist influences on this masterwork make it a religious work of art. The portrayal of this subject may pique the artist’s curiosity or the audience’s since it may inspire hope that one day they may also succeed in gaining immortality. The artist has incorporated formal painting components into the lines on the mountains. In the sea, the flat, unnatural hue of Fugai Honk utilizes a lofty viewpoint and texture comparable to that of the Kano school and Haboku style. I was drawn in by this art’s whimsical quality and pastel hues, which together demonstrate the enormous expertise in the Kano school. This piece of art represents liberation and enlightenment to me.
Works Cited
Hwang, Yoonah. “Conversing in Clay: Ceramics from the LACMA Collection, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California, August 7, 2022 – May 21, 2023.” Korean Journal of Art History, vol. 315, no. 2, 2022, pp. 328–329, Web.
Karpinski, Caroline. “The Chiaroscuro Woodcut in Renaissance Italy. Naoko Takahatake, Ed. Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich: DelMonico Books, 2018. 288 Pp. $60.” Renaissance Quarterly, vol. 74, no. 1, 2021, pp. 244–245, Web.
Li, Zhai. “Probing into the Mythological Images in Mao Zedong’s Poem ‘Immortals: Reply to Li Shuyi.’” Research Result. Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, vol. 4, no. 1, 2018, Web.