In the late 1400s, Japanese Zen monks brought a particular style of splashed-ink painting to its acme. Here, you see a scene that looks like an embankment with trees, a fence, and a building: or is it just a random oddly arranged page of smudges? The Zen monk who painted this, Josui Sōen, was a disciple of Sesshū Tōyō, the most famous master of the form. With this style, the painter might begin the work with a casual and random mark, and shape the illustration to make it into a realistic picture — but one that viewers must participate in forming, because there is a visual gap between the minimalist markings on the page and the more specific scene that forms in their minds.
Sources: Freer Gallery, Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC
