Minneapolis Institute of Art

White-robed Avalokiteshvara Viewing a Waterfall

Japan

Date

15th century

Medium

Hanging scroll, ink on silk

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Avalokiteshvara, known in Japanese as Kannon, is one of the most popular deities in Zen Buddhism, and monochrome ink paintings of Kannon relaxing in nature were a staple of Zen painters’ repertoires. Such images imagine the deity in his own paradise, which sacred texts describe as a high seaside grotto surrounded by waterfalls and lush plants. Here, Kannon sits casually on a boulder, his legs tucked beneath him, and gazes up at a waterfall. Asia

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