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Courtesy of Douglas Dubler III
Courtesy of Douglas Dubler III
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Courtesy of Douglas Dubler III
Courtesy of Douglas Dubler III
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Courtesy of Douglas Dubler III
Courtesy of Douglas Dubler III
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Courtesy of Jòseh Alva-Vega
Courtesy of Jòseh Alva-Vega
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Courtesy of Jòseh Alva-Vega
Courtesy of Jòseh Alva-Vega
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Courtesy of Jòseh Alva-Vega
Courtesy of Jòseh Alva-Vega
Ken Matsubara Japanese, b. 1948
Sun and Moon 日月, 2025
Bengara iron oxide, torinoko gampi washi paper, soil tonoko powder, mica, bond, Japanese wood glue, sumi charcoal, white gold leaf
H46 x W96 in
H116.8 x W243.8 cm
H116.8 x W243.8 cm
A28076
Copyright The Artist
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As a young man, the famed Buddhist priest Kūkai (774-835) looked out from the Mikurodo cave in southeast Shikoku where he meditated on the cycle of nature. This legend is the basis for Matsubara’s painting of the sun and moon, capturing the celestial bodies in a fluctuating composition. The smooth white gold of Matsubara’s waxing moon shines among turbulent waves painted with a clay-resin mixture. Raised lines of mica-based paint accentuate the painting's highly textured surface. The golden rays of the sun emanates a powerful energy, while the rising moon suggests growth and the beginning of something great.