Shimizu Kosho | Painting
A loose brush was Kosho's hall mark. And this landscape – a rather uncommon topic in Kosho’s work by the way – is a most illustrative example of this.
Spring new moon, floating in memories. And over the mountains the moon shines at night. Inelegantly written by Shusetsu
Who is Shusetsu?
Shusetsu-an was one of Kosho's sobriquets, which may roughly translate to “Hermitage of a Clumsy Guard”. This is not only utterly poetic but also refers to Kosho’s time as the Todaiji kindergarten supervisor, a position he held earlier in his monastic career. For his artistic career these years have been particularly seminal, too, as the children were prototypes of expressive, effortless, and artless artists.
In 1981 Shimizo Kosho resigned form his position as the abbot of Todaiji Temple in Nara. A position which was the end of his monastic career and the beginning of a new one. Shimizu Kosho threw himself into art. More than ever before. Impulsive, cheerful, eccentric.
Shimizu Kosho
Ink on paper
53.6 x 38.3 cm (21 x 15 in.)
Mounting 133 x 56 cm (52 ½ x 22 in.)
Wooden box
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