“The ensō is a true homage to Japanese tradition, a return to a more unfettered minimalist practice, the result of a complex artistic and spiritual path.” — Emmanuel Perrotin
The subject of the present lot is one of the most famous motifs in Zen painting, the ensō (‘circle’) that symbolises emptiness, unity and infinity in Zen Buddhism. Murakami has also painted the great figures of Zen Buddhism: Daruma the Great, the founder of Zen; the severed hand of the monk Eka (Huike), a sacrifice to his master Daruma (Bodhidharma) whom he later succeeded; and The 500 Arhats, a 100-meter long painting representing the 500 wise followers of Buddha who attained enlightenment by overcoming their greed, hatred and delusions, and destroyed their karmic residue from previous lives.
Paying true homage to Japanese tradition, the ensō paintings are the result of an artistic and spiritual epiphany for the artist. The ensō is the prerequisite to every act of creation, a moment when the mind is free to let the body create, and can result only from quiet and persistent spiritual practice. Traditionally traced in one fluid, masterful stroke of the brush, painting the ensō is not for the timid of heart or mind. Murakami executes the ensō in his unique style, using spray paint over his signature accumulations of flowers and skulls.
“In any case, the important thing in art is how you express your reality; it’s crucial to accurately depict the influences you have received in life through various methods and grammars of art.” — Takashi Murakami