| 'Eccentric Painting: Chan Portraits in Chinese Society" explores an immensely popular yet hitherto neglected category of portraits in Chan or Zen Buddhism, in late medieval and early modern China (1100-1300 CE). These portraits of the so-called Chan eccentrics are paintings of remarkable and legendary Chan monks, the most well-known being Hanshan, Shide and Fenggan. The Chan eccentrics became major cultural figures in later Chinese and Japanese society. In spite of widespread interest in the eccentrics, earlier scholarship has only discussed paintings of these monks with regard to style and iconography. This research will approach portraits of Chan eccentrics with attention to their role in Chan religious experience and their artistic and social functions. |
