tour 11 of 11
The 250th Anniversary Medal
Tosa Mitsunari, Monk Saigyō, a hanging scroll painting
'This Japanese scroll painting refers
back in time to the Heian period some 500 years earlier, and has a
timeless quality. This shows a very different kind of gateway from
the Egyptian false door. It is a simple gateway in a garden wall. A
spatial illusion is created through a projection of the geometry of
the boundary fence and the building. The floating clouds overlay
this space and create
atmosphere.
There is a
beautiful dialogue between the world beyond the gate, inhabited by
the Buddhist monk, and the finely drawn interior situated beyond.
There is a strong sense of events taking place just out of sight in
the room. The delicate strings of a partly-seen musical instrument
evoke the very sounds, and the mood of the scene is further
established by the pervading
moonlight.'
John Maine
2002