Zen in the art of painting

This new study reveals all the mystery of the Zen approach to painting. The impact of Zen art comes from its synthesis of elementary power and meditative silence, of unaffected
simplicity and unfathomable depth, of sparkling humour and a subtle feeling for the miracles of everyday life. Zen painters, working from the basis of religious enlightenment, see the world around them with changed eyes. This is reflected
in the seven qualities of their art – asymmetry, simplicity, sublimity, naturalness, depth, freedom, repose and consistency – some of which transcend purely aesthetic values and point to lofty moral and religious ideals.

Zen painting is not an isolated and clearly differentiated genre of East Asian art. As this book shows, it must be seen in its proper setting of the general history of art in China and Japan on the one hand, and the overall development of Buddhist art in the East on the other.