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Bodhidharma
.....Credited
with bringing Zen Buddhism to China from India in the 5th century C.E.,
Bodhidharma is a favorite theme of Buddhist art and Zen art in particular.
He is renowned for having meditated for nine years in front of a blank wall
at Shaolin Temple, world famous for its martial arts, before becoming
enlightened. Stories about his life and efforts are a rich tradition that,
born in Asia, is now spreading to the West.
.....Ideally,
Zen paintings of Bodhidharma are done with a brush in a single rapid flow of
spontaneous action, and there are indeed artists who specialize in this type
of Bodhidharma painting. The ones below, however, are portraits rather than
Zen paintings, and are done quite carefully with a variety of brushes (these
include horsehair for the large swirls and circles; goat for the strong
lines; beaver tail for facial lines; roe tail for shading; and even a
chicken feather brush, which was used for the major lines in the second
portrait). The faces are based on or even exact replicas of traditional
portraits of Bodhidharma that can easily be found in nations with Zen
traditions.
.....The
traditional sternness of his expression (for example in the second, third
and fourth portraits) is to reflect his unswerving determination to become
enlightened, but I have added a few of my own touches to some of these
portraits in hopes of making Bodhidharma more approachable and loveable as a
human being on the great quest. We trust that he doesn't mind!
---o0o---
Source: http://www.bbbudart.com/
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