Bull and Mount Fuji, Nakahara Nantenbō

Archive Label date unknown: Like many other monk painters in Japan, Nanbembō learned late in life to utalize painting and calligraphy as a means of Zen expression. His early works, which begin in his fifties, contain a kind of vigorous explosive energy, with which he "attacked" the paper, echoing his teaching temperament. In his later works, Nantembō replaced this vibrant strength with gentle wit, his brushstrokes becoming tamer and more contemplative. Mount Fuji was one of his favorite subjects during this period. He would often place a common subject next to the mountain, such as the bull in the foreground of the Spencer painting. It may have been the mountain's embodiment of non-duality, a main principle of Zen teaching, that inspired Nantembō to juxtapose various subjects with Mount Fuji. By so doing, Nantembō challenged himself and his viewers to reorient their concept of illusion and reality.