Guardians of the Dharma, or of the Empire? The Nine Luohans by Zhou Xun (1649-1729)
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Pape Reception Hall, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Lecture by Ann Wetherell
This talk explains an unpublished hand scroll of Buddhist luohans (“stream crossers”) in the collection of Pacific University. Signed the professional artist Zhou Xun, who worked in Nanjing, in the early part of the Qing dynasty, this energetic painting has much in common with the gently humorous images of luohans that gained popularity in the late Ming and Qing periods. However, aspects of this painting in light of the biography of the artists suggest a darker message of protest against the Manchu state.