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Eighteen Arhats
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Eighteen Arhats
CHINA; Dated 1914; By Wu Changshuo; Ink and color on paper; 760 x 391.3 cm; Tianjin Museum, China
Wu Changshuo painted this long scroll when he was 71. The Eighteen Arhats are portrayed against a blank background. The Arhats are shown chanting, conversing, sitting in deep meditation, or making an offering. One Arhat sits on the back of a tiger. Another holds a vessel from which a dragon emerges. A seated Arhat raises his finger, and a trail of smoke topped with a Buddha image appears.
Various techniques applied with calligraphic brushwork create the unique characteristics and expressions of the Arhats, who appear either Chinese or Indian. Though the images seem somewhat simplistic, a closer look at the varied lines used to portray the robes of each Arhat reveals the skill of the artist. |
