On September 22, 2022, the fourth meeting of the Ushioda Initiative of Arts was held. This time, Prof. Maromitsu Tsukamoto (Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia) presented his study titled “Is Art Possible Even After Losing Sight?” Focusing on the literary paintings of two blind artists, Wang Shishen (汪士慎) (1686–1759) and Hasegawa Shodenkyo (谷川沼田居) (1905–1983), Professor Tsukamoto outlined how blind artists in Japan and China depict their blindness in their works and how the public has reacted to them.

The history of art has many standards and stylistic theories for evaluating the value of artworks. However, when focusing on the relation between art and people’s way of life, these standards, which tend to lean toward visual logic, no longer apply. Paintings of blind artists are considered crucial clues for reevaluating art.

In China, descriptions of blindness, illness, and artistic expression can be traced to the era of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou (揚州八怪). Chinese literati paintings exhibit a high degree of technical skill as well as a tendency to value the transcendence of technique. For instance, Gao Fenghan (高鳳翰), who suffered from a right-hand ailment in his later years, began painting with his left hand, which unexpectedly gained him popularity. Wang Shishen lost his eyesight in his old age, but his friend Jin Nong (金農) remarked, “The eyes may lose sight, but the heart does not,” and praised his works for being even more magnificent. This tradition of the “denial of technique” (「技術否定」) and the “denial of resemblance” (「形似否定」) in China may have allowed art to continue even after the loss of an artist’s sight.

In Japan, a notable case is Hasegawa Shodenkyo, who studied under Makishima Kanun (牧島閑雲) and was influenced by the traditions of Chinese studies and Nanga (Southern School) painting. His paintings are characterized by actively creating forms. In his later years, having completely lost his vision, Hasegawa Shodenkyo attempted to further explore forms through calligraphy, with his “Iroha Series” being a representative work.

Photo: “Iroha Series” (from Tsukamoto’s presentation materials)

Regarding the artistry created by literati paintings after the artist lost their sight, what shocks people is not only the impact of the paintings stripped of technique but also the artist’s unceasing creative drive and unfaded spirit despite their loss of sight. In this sense, the artistry of works by blind artists may be achieved through the viewer’s participation. Simply put, as we, who “still see,” appreciate paintings and imagine the thoughts, desires, and expressive possibilities of the artist who ventures into the unknown darkness, we are tasked to transcend our own physical conditions and experience the nature of the world.

Reporter: Muyun Wang (EAA Project Research Fellow)

Translator: Dan Yi (EAA Project Research Fellow)