The Bird's Nest Patriarch

Tawaraya Sōtatsu’s painting was inspired by a 1602 Chinese book that featured images of legendary Chinese Buddhist experts and Daoist sages. The monk portrayed here is Niaoge, which literally means “Bird’s Nest.” He was a Zen practitioner who favored the isolation of treetops, from which he offered advice to the perplexed. The posture of the single figure suggests a dialogue with someone below. Sōtatsu was a master of the “boneless” ( mokkotsu ), or un-outlined, style of ink painting that relies on layered pools of ink wash for effect. Fisa demonstrativa, nu obiect aflat in patrimoniul acestui muzeu. Sursa: https://clevelandart.org/art/1958.289