Shakyamuni undergoing austerities, Kanō Kazunobu

Exhibition Label: "Compassionate Beings: Japanese Buddhist Art," Sep-2009, Kris Ercums In a quest to understand the meaning of life, Prince Siddartha (circa 563-circa 483 B.C.E.) of the Shakya clan left his father’s palace on the present border of India and Nepal to search for truth. This ink monochrome portrait depicts his attempt to reach enlightenment through extreme ascetic practice. The artist has portrayed the former prince with stark realism; his body is emaciated and he lacks the energy to even lift his head. He sits on a platform-like rock that appears to float above the clouds, suggesting an otherworldly space, while the sun or moon behind the figure forms a halo or mandorla around his head. Even as Siddhartha is discouraged and close to starvation, the viewer sees that he is approaching the understanding that will transform him into the historical Buddha Shakyamuni (literally ‘Sage of the Shakyas’). Exhibition Label: “The Sacred and the Secular: Buddhist Imagery in Religious and Popular Contexts,” Oct-2005, Hillary Pedersen In a quest to understand the meaning of life, Prince Siddartha (c.563-c.483 B.C.E.) of the Shakya clan left his father’s palace on the present border of India and Nepal to search for truth. This ink monochrome portrait depicts his attempt to reach enlightenment through extreme ascetic practice. The artist has portrayed the former prince with stark realism; his body is emaciated and he lacks the energy to even lift his head. He sits on a platform-like rock that appears to float above the clouds, suggesting an otherworldly space, while the sun or moon behind the figure forms a halo or mandorla around his head. Even as Siddhartha is discouraged and close to starvation, the viewer sees that he is approaching the understanding that will transform him into the historical Buddha Shakyamuni (literally ‘Sage of the Shakyas’). Archive Label 2003: In a quest to understand the meaning of life, the prince Siddartha (c.563-c.483 B.C.E.) of the Shakya clan left his father’s palace on the present border of India and Nepal to search for truth. This ink monochrome portrait depicts his attempt to reach enlightenment through ascetic practice. The artist has portrayed the former prince with stark realism, all his bones protruding and without the energy to raise his head. At the same time, he sits on an isolated lotus-like rock that appears to float above the clouds, suggesting an otherworldly space, and the sun or moon behind the figure forms a halo or mandorla around his head. Even as Siddhartha is discouraged and close to starvation, the viewer sees that he is approaching the understanding that will transform him into the historical Buddha Shakyamuni (literally ‘Sage of the Shakyas’).