Monk Sewing

Peer Discussion: Monk Sewing

Genjo koan is a Zen Buddhist practice where the believer would take any mundane act from routine life and turn it into an enlighting session of meditation. I chose Monk Sewing on page 403 in which the character was practicing this very ritual for my Art Analysis.

Monk Sewing is a painting by Kao Ninga. The mediums used were ink on paper. I'm tempted to say it's a hanging scroll because of the texture of the paper and the filigreed border. Not much to say about the actual medium used to daub the painting on the canvas; it's the same ink used to write scriptures.

It was painted in the Kamakura period, early 14^th century. This falls under Period Style. As far as Regional Style, the image was created in Japan, most probably in the mountainous regions where the monks make themselves at home. I've also concluded that Painterly describes Kao Ninga's style of painting. The brush strokes are free form and there is intensity in certain areas of the painting (the cloth being sewn).

It took me a little longer to consider Representational Style than it did the previous two. I settled on Abstract as the style and Expressionism as the particular kind. Monk Sewing wasn't particularly exaggerated but it wasn't quite realistic either. Expressionism seemed fitting because the artist himself could have been practicing genjo koan and thus focused on his thoughts/enlightenment than actually trying to replicate real life.

I researched parallels between Monk Sewing and 'Art Historians' Guide to the Movies' website. Although browsing all the categories I focused on three; Non-Western, Ancient, and Other. Surprisingly I found nothing in Ancient. It was mainly compiled of themes from the Near East and westward. My painting being from the far east I had to look at other alternatives, and they were found in;

Non-Western:
In the Mood for Love -- 2000
"Some of the final scenes of In the Mood for Love by director Wong Kar-Wai are shot in the temple of Ankor Wat in Cambodia." - Arthur Wortmann

The temple bit brought up images of what the temples my little Zen monk might have frequented. I googled for images of the Ankor Wat (in the process correcting the spelling to Angkor Wat) and found that it was a grandiose structure covered intricate filigree. I had also looked up Zen temples and come up with Tenryuji - one of Kyoto's 'Five Great Zen Temples' just as fascinating... but Angkor Wat it seems is a bit over the edge for my simple and humble monk. “In the Mood for Love” just doesn't cut it for this piece.

Other:
The Picture of Dorian Gray -- 1945
"The film version of O. Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray is great example of the theory that painting embodies the psychology of the artist or the person portrayed." - Julie L. McGee, Bowdoin College

Now this is quite far fetched. The actual movie is somewhat of a Jekyll and Hyde phenomenon and practically unrelated. But what I did find captivating was what Julie L. McGee stated above “the theory that painting embodies the psychology of the artist”. Zen monks define themselves with what they do, every movement is a form of worship. The artist, Kao Ninga, had painted of what he absorbed from his reality. This is the link, however remote, that I found between the two.

My partner was very helpful in pointing out a few things that I had missed in both style and medium. First off under Style she mentioned that linear style also describes Monk Sew. The brush fades at the folds of the monk's robes and there are white spaces where the brush trails on the cloth somewhat depicting depth and thickness. I was trying to decide whether the painting was just a regular hanging scroll or a simple painting. She pointed out that it could also be a hand scroll.

References

Art Historian's Guide to the Movies;
personal1.stthomas.edu/cdeliason/ahgttm.htm

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