Five Hundred Arhats No.347 · The Venerable Uttara | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.347 The Venerable Uttara

Uttara (Sanskrit, 'higher, superior, northern') was the name of disciples in the Buddha's time noted for pressing upward and seeking the superior Dharma; listed among the five hundred arhats, the name signifies seeking the Dharma above, resolved on excellence. The venerable appears as an Indian monk with an upward-looking air; the title is kept objectively without invented deeds, conveying only joyful seeking of the higher Dharma and diligence toward excellence.

Painted by Li Zongyi in the freehand Chinese ink (xieyi) tradition, the brushwork is fluent and the ink tones layered from dense to pale, capturing the arhat’s spirit in a few assured strokes. The blank paper itself breathes Zen; figure and spirit are one, blending monastic solemnity with the literati’s ease. Each of the Five Hundred Arhats bears its own name and practice, uniting faith, art and collectibility — an original, non-reproducible hand-painted work.

Size: approx. 100×50cm (4.5 square chi) | Traditional hand-painted Chinese ink Zen Buddhist figure painting | On paper