Kuan Yin
Artwork copyright held by the artist
Artwork Information
Artist:
Wu Daozi, original artist. Creator of the rubbing is unknown.
Date:
Unknown
Media:
Ink rubbing
Size:
Location:
Cannell Library (LIB), back stairwell
About the Artist:
Wu Daozi (c. 685 – c. 758 CE or c. 689 – c. 759 CE), also known as Daoxuan and Wu Tao Tzu, was a Chinese painter of the Tang dynasty. The British art historian Michael Sullivan considers him one of "the masters of the seventh century," Some of his works survive; many, mostly murals, have been lost.
Wu's father died when he was at an early age, and he subsequently lived in poverty. He learned calligraphy from Zhang Xu and He Zhizhang, before specializing in painting. He pioneered realistic techniques, the formal establishment of brushwork, and landscape painting. He painted figures with round strokes so as to show their flowing clothes.
Artwork description:
A dark gray rubbing is mounted onto a silk scroll with white lines depicting Guanyin (觀音) is the goddess of mercy and considered to be the physical embodiment of compassion. She is an all-seeing, all-hearing being who is called upon by worshipers in times of uncertainty, despair, and fear.. The rubbing taken from a tablet in the Forest of Steles in Xi’an, China.
Acquisition Information:
Kuan Yin was donated by Harriet Kaufman Levi to commemorate the Fourth World Congress on Women held in China in 1995.