Depicts Zen monk Huike (慧可) thinking. By painter Shi Ke (Chinese: 石恪), from Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period to Northern Song (about 10th century)

Niso chōshin zu (二祖調心図)

Shi Ke (attributed)

Depicts Zen monk Huike (慧可) thinking. By painter Shi Ke (Chinese: 石恪), from Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period to Northern Song (about 10th century)

Colors in this work

Details

Holding institution
Tokyo National Museum
Image provider
wikimedia-commons
License
Public domain
Credit
Tokyo National Museum

Art Genome Taxonomy

9 tags

Subject Matter

  • Related to Religion Metadata · 98%

    The catalog identifies the depicted figure as Huike, a Zen monk, making religious subject matter central to the work.

  • Deities and Holy Figures Metadata · 89%

    Huike is identified in the catalog as a Zen monk and is depicted as a named religious figure.

  • Human Figure Visual · 99%

    A single seated human figure occupies the central portion of the composition, with the head inclined and a hand raised near the face.

Visual Qualities

  • Sparse Visual · 98%

    Substantial areas of pale, relatively unpainted ground surround the figure, creating an open and restrained composition.

  • Asymmetrical Visual · 93%

    The figure and dark brushwork are unevenly distributed across the horizontal format, with seals on the right creating an offset visual balance.

  • Earth Tones Visual · 96%

    The visible palette is dominated by muted beige, gray, black, and brown tones, with red seal impressions as contrasting accents.

Medium and Techniques

  • Painting Visual · 99%

    The image visibly presents a painted composition made from brush-applied dark ink, diluted washes, and pale ground.

  • The catalog classifies the work as a Japanese painting or print, and the image visibly uses East Asian ink-and-wash methods, including diluted tonal passages, exposed ground, and expressive brush lines.

  • Gestural Visual · 98%

    The figure and robe are described through forceful, variable-width brush marks, with sweeping dark strokes concentrated around the lower body and right side.

Source & rights

Shi Ke (石恪) (attributed). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Huike_thinking.jpg

High-resolution sources