Five Hundred Arhats · No.123 Venerable Beyond Rivalry (Wusheng) | Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Wash Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.123 — Venerable Beyond Rivalry (Wusheng)

“Unsurpassed” means his power of the Way and merit stand beyond compare, with none who can defeat him, and also the forgetting of both victory and defeat, beyond all relative pairing; the name expresses one who has realized the highest dharma, whom none can surpass, yet who never contends with things. The Venerable has a serene, harmonious expression and a transcendent air, possessing the ease of one beyond all opposites, where victory and defeat both dissolve, abiding in the unsurpassed dharma.

Painted by Li Zongyi in the traditional Chinese freehand (xieyi) ink style: the brushwork flows freely while layered tones of ink interplay, revealing the Arhat's spirit with only a few masterly strokes. The unpainted space breathes with Zen (Chan) atmosphere, balancing form and spirit and fusing religious solemnity with the refined charm of literati art. Each of the Five Hundred Arhats bears its own name and practice; every piece is a one-of-a-kind, irreproducible hand-painted original that combines devotional, artistic and collectible value.

Approx. 100×50 cm (about 4.5 Chinese sq. ft.) | Traditional hand-painted Chinese ink painting · Zen Buddhist figure | Ink on paper

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