Drawing

Manjusuri and Sea Turtle

1989 Each: 97.5 x 65.5 cm (38 3/8 x 25 13/16 in.)

The Japanese term for substituting an unexpected figure for a conventional one is <em>mitate</em> (見立), or “stand-in.” Oda Mayumi applies the device, popular in ukiyo-e prints of the Edo period (1615–1868), to Monju (Manjushri in Sanskrit), a bodhisattva—a being among those considered enlightened in Buddhism—who symbolizes wisdom. One form of this bodhisattva depicts him as a child with his hair in knots. Oda’s Monju is instead a woman with her hair in a similar style, who also holds a <em>nyoi</em> (如意), a staff used by Buddhist clergy when delivering formal lectures.

  • Készítette 30513
  • Datálva 1989
  • Jogok: Copyrighted

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