The Breath of Japan: Written and Painted Poetry

How can we visualize the interpretation of a wise Zen aphorism, a haiku, or a description of nature? This book presents some thirty large-format works by fourteen Japanese Sho artists that focus on the close relationship between image and writing, painting and poetry. These impressive works, created between the 1950s and the present day, fuse poetry, penmanship, and painting to produce an aesthetic that also inspires the Western world. In the dance of the paintbrush, as the China ink is applied to the paper, we experience dynamism, rhythm, and artistic shading. Thoughtful essays decode the sign language, calligraphy, and penmanship as well as the aura of the universality of the lavishly illustrated works.