Harvard Art Museums > 2010.551: Chan (Better known in English by the Japanese term "Zen") Paintings Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Chan (Better known in English by the Japanese term "Zen") (Fung Ming Chip (Feng Mingqiu) 馮明秋) , 2010.551,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Dec 26, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/336546. This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2010.551 People Fung Ming Chip (Feng Mingqiu) 馮明秋, Chinese (born 1951) Title Chan (Better known in English by the Japanese term "Zen") Other Titles Original Language Title: 禪 Classification Paintings Work Type painting, album leaf Date 2009 Places Creation Place: East Asia, China, Hong Kong Culture Chinese Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/336546 Physical Descriptions Medium Album leaf: ink on paper; with one seal of the artist Dimensions calligraphy proper: 34.4 x 12.7 cm (13 9/16 x 5 in.) mounting: 70.1 x 50 cm (27 5/8 x 19 11/16 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Fung Ming Chip, Hong Kong (2009-2010), sold; to Susan L. Beningson, New York, 2010, gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2010. NOTE: This work was created by Fung Ming Chip in Hong Kong in 2009. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Susan L. Beningson and Steve Arons in memory of Renée Beningson Accession Year 2010 Object Number 2010.551 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description This large, vertically oriented, rectangular album leaf is inscribed with a single character reading "Chan". The character, which is better known in the West by the Japanese pronunciation "Zen," refers to a meditative sect of Buddhism that claimed--and still claims--numerous adherents in both China and Japan. The text was composed and inscribed on this album leaf by Fung Ming Chip (standard Mandarin transcription: Feng Mingqiu). The upper two thirds of this album leaf is blank except for the seal impressed at the very top; the lower one third includes several broad brushstrokes in black ink, the network of brushstrokes resembling two stacked Z's. Written upside down, as if reflected from above, the single character is written in cursive, or running, script (xingshu) in a manner that the artist characterizes as "reflection script." The artist created this calligraphic work by brushing the broad, black strokes and then, using a brush loaded with water, by inscribing the character within the upper portion of the net of brushstrokes, creating a work in which the character appears pale gray against the black strokes. The artist has stated that he intended to create a calligraphic work that resembles a pictorial, nighttime scene in which the moon--in this instance, the character chan--is reflected in a lake (i.e., the network of black brushstrokes at the bottom). This calligraphic work is not dated; however, the artist stated to the curator that he created it in 2009. This calligraphic work is not signed, but it includes one seal of the artist, which identifies it as a work of Fung Ming Chip. The seal, which the artist himself carved, can be described as follows: Square, red, intaglio seal reading "Xiang" [Note: The seal reading "Xiang" can be translated as "Phenomenon"] Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
