48
Artist
Jiun Onkō(Japanese, 1718–1804)Japanese, 1718–1804
Japanese
A Single Path
18th century
Hanging scroll; ink on paper
Image: 46 1/8 × 20 1/2 in. (117.2 × 52.1 cm)
Scroll: 79 × 27 3/4 × 1 1/4 in. (200.7 × 70.5 × 3.2 cm)
Storage box: 29 1/2 × 3 1/4 × 3 1/2 in. (74.9 × 8.3 × 8.9 cm)
The Gitter-Yelen Collection, museum purchase funded by the Brown Foundation Accessions Endowment Fund
2021.229
ProvenanceResearch Ongoing“A single path upwards, the thousand sages do not assist me”1
Jiun Onkō developed a unique style in his calligraphy, characterized by large, powerful strokes, bold lines, and a degree of roughness. The scratchy nature of his brushwork, evident in the areas of paper left visible in each line, was in large part due to his use of a brush made of splintered bamboo instead of animal hair, imparting a rustic dynamism to each character. The inscription states that enlightenment is ultimately an individual task that must come from within, no matter how many wise men’s words one has studied—or painted.
—Bradley Bailey