Bulletin > Volume 49 La Force de la matière dans l ’ expression artistique: Sesshū, corps et esprit en mouvement

Teddy Peix

Download PDF

Exploration and study were essential in the painting of Sesshū. Following the principles of the thinker Zhu Xi, the painter cultivated his knowledge of himself and the world, giving as much importance to qi, phenomenal energy, as to taiyi, transcendental influence of nature. In some aspects, these themes applied to artistic expression could be consistent with Nishida’s philosophy. According to the philosopher, art results from a set of unifications leading from the mind to the body. Thus, this form of expression is seen as a way conducive to the development of personality, and its content is linked to a deep, free and irrational feeling revealed in matter. The following essay is based on a talk given at a seminar at Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture on 31 May 2024.