Hibo Kannon
| Support Type: | Silk |
| Paint Type: | Ink |
| Current Location: | Smithsonian\'s National Museum of Asian Art |
| Location History: | "Hibo Kannon" was painted by Kanō Hōgai in Japan in 1883 and was created for public exhibition rather than for use in a Buddhist temple. The hanging scroll was displayed at the 1883 Paris Salon, where it was acquired by the Parisian art dealer Siegfried Bing. A few years later, the American art historian and collector Ernest Fenollosa purchased the painting from Bing while in Europe. In 1902, Fenollosa sold it to the American collector Charles Lang Freer, who subsequently donated it to the Freer Gallery of Art (now part of the Smithsonian Institution) in Washington, D.C., where it remains today in the collection of the National Museum of Asian Art. |
Hibo Kannon by Kano Hogai remains as the most celebrated art works that was created during the Meiji period. Not only does this painting embody the spirituality of traditional Japan but also portrays the artistic innovations of a rapidly modernizing nation. Painted as a hanging silk scroll using ink along with mineral pigments, it showcases Kannon, a bodhisattva (enlightened one) of compassion, who seems to be descending down from heaven or among the clouds. Kannon is guised as a maternal figure who looks after an infant below surrounded within a glowing orb. Subjectively, the child represents purity and continuation of life, while Kannon's expressions convey mercy and divine protection. Hogai's masterful yet delicate brushwork with subtle color gradations create a dreamlike, transcendent atmosphere. He skillfully combines classical Kano school techniques with new artistic derive, and achieves a remarkable balance between realism and spirituality. This painting helps us, the viewers and/or admirers, gain a new perspective upon how devotional images including the themes of traditional Buddhism can be reimagined with emotional depth, essence, and can leave a significant mark on cultural transformation.
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