Seeing Zen in Prague: A Unique Collection of Japanese Zen Art

The Kaeru-An Collection at the National Gallery in Prague comprises 523 scrolls of Japanese Zen ink painting and calligraphy, a few items of earthenware, and one pair of screens. The collection was built over the course of the past twenty years by the Dutch collector and artist Felix Hess, with expert assistance from the professor John Stevens. Three years ago, Felix Hess donated this exceptional collection of Japanese Zen art, spanning from the 15th to the 20th century, to the National Gallery in Prague, which has recently presented part of the collection in two installations of works in the exhibition ‘Zenga: Japanese Zen Paintings from the Kaeru-An Collection’ in the Salm Palace by Prague Castle.

This is the first time that the art of Zen painting and calligraphy (zenga) has been presented in this Central European metropolis in a minimalist fashion, with subdued lighting and accompanied by a diverse soundtrack. The Zen aesthetic presents the monochromatic simplicity and asymmetry of the ink brushstroke, which accords with the principle of beauty in the mundane and everyday (wabi-sabi). The minimalist colour scheme of ink painting evokes an intuitive vision and spontaneously captures a spiritual essence without detailed descriptions or rational judgements, allowing an inner equilibrium to radiate. In the installation, the Zen paintings and ceramics therefore resonate not only with the accompanying melodies of the shakuhachi flute or spoken kōans but also with the natural sounds of frothing waterfalls and croaking frogs. Similarly, the solitary white stones placed at the foot of the glass panels in front of each suspended kakemono scroll recall a further dimension of the Zen aesthetic: the art of kare sansui stone gardens. This Zen soundscape exhibition is surprisingly in harmony with the complex arrangement of the interior of the Salm Palace, which was built in a classic palace style with several interconnecting rooms. The historical building plan might have caused complications, but, on the contrary, it is superbly effective for the exhibition, which presents Zen paintings not in chronological order but rather in thematic chapters, capturing the essential motifs and brush styles. Each room thus visualizes one theme.

The minimalism of the installation helps in creating a space for calm and contemplation. This is further facilitated by simple benches or seats, provided in order to enable viewers to perceive the smallest details of inimitable brushstroke traces. Coloured ink also marks the two-part noren curtains, which separate the individual rooms and the thematic sections. Only one tenth of the works from the expansive Kaeru-An Collection are exhibited in the current rotation, but further paintings from this unique collection will be gradually presented for viewing in the new Zen gallery, which will be part of the future permanent galleries of the Asian Art Collection.

The exhibition presents works by 34 Japanese monks and two female artists from various social strata, spanning from the turn of the 17th century to the 20th century. Examples from the very oldest period include works by Takuan Sōhō (a descendent of the samurai lineage) and monks from the Ōbaku school such as Tetsugen Dōkō. Kokan Myōyo, whose works are from the end of the 17th century, was a monk of the Pure Land school, and Hakuin Ekaku, who painted his works between 1730 and 1769, was a renowned monk of the Rinzai school. He provided inspiration not only for his exceptional pupil, Reigen Etō, but also for Fuyō Rōran, a monk of the Sōtō school. Another distinguished figure from the 18th century was Baisaō, who eventually gave up the monastic life to become a tea merchant; other notable figures of the period are Daikaku Seppō, Unmon Sokudō, and Tengei Eken. At the beginning of the 19th century, the monks Sengai Gibon, Kōgan Genkei, Gōchō Kankai, Shunsō Shōju, Takeda Motsugai, and Gansui excelled in their art. The exhibition’s featured works from the mid-19th century include examples by the monks Tsūō Sōtetsu, Kan’u Irin, the haiku poet and nun Ōtagaki Rengetsu (originally of samurai descent), and Yamaoka Tesshū. A prominent artist from the 20th century was the monk Nakahara Nantembō; also represented in the exhibition are his successors Deiryū and Kasumi Bunshō, the female painter Gyokusen, and the master Shōun of the Rinzai school. More works by other distinguished figures from the 20th century, including the monks Takeda Mokurai, Akino Kōdō, Ashikaga Shizan, Hiramoto Tokujū, Myōdō Sōin, Nakagawa Sōen, Yūni Yatarō, Ōta Tōsui, Inaba Shinden, and Kusashige Zenkō, are also showcased in the exhibition.

The introduction to the exhibition presents paintings by the spiritual founder of Chan (Zen), the Indian monk Bodhidharma, known in Japan as Daruma. The image of the patriarch with his characteristic features—robust nose, thick eyebrows, long beard, and elongated earlobes—was transformed by Hakuin Ekaku (1685–1769) into an accomplished psychological portrait, which reflects not only his reverence for the patriarch of Zen but also his own mind. This model of Daruma was also developed by Hakuin’s pupil Reigen Etō (1721–85). Another figural type depicting the patriarch of Zen is the seated zazen figure of Daruma, facing the wall of a cave in his meditative seclusion. The minimalist outlines of the seated figure, reminiscent of the shape of an aubergine, direct one’s attention to the Buddha essence that can be found only within oneself. Daruma was also frequently depicted in outlines by the monks of the Daitokuji temple, for example by the abbot Seigan Sōi (1588–1661) and Daikō Sōgen (1772–1860), whose works are also featured in the Kaeru-An Collection, and by the monk Baisaō (1675–1763) of the Ōbaku school.

The first room presents paintings with the motif of a circle (ensō), which represents the Zen symbol of spiritual awakening. The circle, painted with one or two brushstrokes, captures in unique simplicity the concept of emptiness and the perfect principle of infinite transformation. At the same time, it refers to the emptied mind, free of disruptive thoughts. Similarly to the moon, the circle reflects light and acts as a mirror that reflects everything—thus also emptiness or nothingness. As the monk Fuyō Rōran (1724–1805) of the Sōtō school attributed as a comment on his circle, ‘Nothing is lacking, nothing is superfluous’ 無欠無余. The Zen ensō circle’s economy of shape raises the question concerning the meaning of this simplicity. The circle symbolizes emptiness and at the same time the very awakening of the mind that becomes possible in a brief moment of concentration or conversely after a longer time: ‘ten minutes and eighty years’, as said by Hakuin. The different levels in the understanding of the philosophical essence of the symbol of the Zen circle thus resound only in the mind of each individual.

*Zen Circle with Calligraphy*
By Fuyō Rōran (1724–1805), 1770–1805
Hanging scroll, ink on paper; 47.5 x 56 cm
Kaeru-An Collection, National Gallery in Prague (Vm 7069)
Image © National Gallery in Prague 2022

The second room of paintings is united by the theme of Zen practice, which is founded upon concentrated perception of the present moment and an individual path to liberation from the ego. Through a visual shortcut and humorous paraphrasing, the zenga arrived at a masterful caricature and captured the fleeting essence of reality. Zen images popularized the fundamental principles of meditation, leading to spiritual awakening for the broader lay community. The simple and direct creative expression of ink painting and calligraphy was intended to evoke an immediate spiritual response in the viewer, without the need to involve religious purification rituals. With the humour intrinsic to Zen, which delights in paradoxical kōans, these didactic images exhort viewers to pursue their own path to spiritual awakening. This path may also lead via mundane activity, as shown by the hermitic life of the poets Kanzan and Jittoku in the painting by the monk Sengai Gibon (1750–1837).

In the third room of the exhibition, the zenga depict natural motifs. Zen monks painted landscapes as symbolic expressions of reverence for the spiritual essence of nature, which incorporates the universal principle of an ever-changing process. As a result, landscape painting does not represent a visual depiction of an actual place but rather presents a segment of reality, captured by the painter’s brush in a fleeting moment. This principle of infinite flux and transformation reflects the Daoist philosophical concept of the unity of the complementary forces of yin and yang, which act in nature in mutating natural variations. One of the oldest landscape paintings in the exhibition is the work by one of the founders of the Ōbaku school in the Manpukuji temple, the Chinese monk Mokuan Shōtō (1611–84).

The fourth room features Zen calligraphy, which represents a contemplative approach to rendering lettering. The oldest works in the Kaeru-An Collection include calligraphy by the master Ikkyū Sōjun (1394–1481). An outstanding feature of the exhibition is the masterful calligraphy of the character ‘ichi’ (‘one’), symbolizing the unity of Buddha nature, by Takuan Sōhō (1573–1645), the superior of the Daitokuji monastery (Fig. 9). In the manner of rendering and the movement of the brush, an artist can modulate strokes to induce a three-dimensional impression, with space similar to the depicted object or phenomenon. The character ‘ryū’ (‘dragon’) by Gansui thus is presented as a dominant solitaire.

*One!*
By Takuan Sōhō (1573–1645), 1630–45
Hanging scroll, ink on paper; 25.4 x 43.3 cm
Kaeru-An Collection, National Gallery in Prague (Vm 6956)
Image © National Gallery in Prague 2022

*Magic Dragon*
By Gansui, 19th century
Hanging scroll, ink on paper; 114 x 51.6 cm
Kaeru-An Collection, National Gallery in Prague (Vm 6937)
Image © National Gallery in Prague 2022

The next room of Zen paintings demonstrates parody, which criticizes superficial conduct and introduces humorous themes to the broad strata of laypersons. The subjects of the caricatures are above all human characters and qualities, which are intended to highlight the reality that the human personality is composed of several elements that fluctuate under the influence of circumstances. In an image of a snowman, the Zen monk Deiryū Kutsu (1895–1954) points to a silhouette of the meditating patriarch Daruma, and at the same time the image functions as a reminder of the impermanence of form and the ever-changing essence of things, which transform just as melting snow turns to water.

During the Edo period (1600–1868), poetic images (haiga) frequently appeared in Zen art, which in many cases captured an impression from a moment in a natural setting. A series of poetic paintings were created by the nun Ōtagaki Rengetsu (1791–1875), who also wrote entirely original haiku on tea ceramics.

A separate room is devoted to the donor, Felix Hess, whose original scientific study on the aerodynamics of the boomerang took him to the Australian bush, where he obtained recordings of frogs croaking. Hess began to focus on the frog choruses’ harmonies, which depended on the interaction of the wavelengths of the individual voices. By pursuing this path, Hess eventually became an acclaimed audio designer. He was enchanted by Japanese culture and naturally began to take an interest in art, in particular gardens, Noh theatre, and the tea ceremony. Hess became fascinated with Zen art specifically, following a chance visit to an exhibition of Zen scrolls in Berlin in 2001. He subsequently established a friendship with John Stevens, an expert in Zen art, who assisted Hess in amassing his collection, which he titled Kaeru-An, meaning ‘from the frog’s hut’, as a tribute to the frogs whose choruses brought him to the world of art. This year Felix Hess was awarded the Artis Bohemiae Amicis medal, from the Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic, Martin Baxa, for Hess’s exceptional activity as a donor.

Acknowledgements

Felix Hess, Christiaan Jörg, Jana Ryndová (the exhibition’s co-curator), John Stevens, Filip Suchomel, Yōko Takahashi

This article was published with support from a ‘Grant for the Long-Term Conceptual Development of a Research Organization’ of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

Markéta Hánová is Head of the Collection of Asian Art at the National Gallery in Prague and the co-curator of the exhibition ‘Zenga: Japanese Zen Paintings from the Kaeru-An Collection’.

This article first featured in our November/ December 2022 print issue. To read more, purchase the full issue here.

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