Stand-in Fugen
1802
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
Artist
Kitao Masayoshi
Kitao Masayoshi (1764–1824) was a Japanese artist, born in Edo.
See the richer artist page1802
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Stand-in Fugen is a 1802 unspecified by Kitao Masayoshi, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A woman dressed as a man rides an elephant in this painting. She's holding a lotus flower with falling petals. The story behind this image is complex, and it teaches about impermanence. The Cleveland Museum of Art has this painting, and it's from the Edo period in Japan. The woman in the painting represents Fugen, a Buddhist figure who symbolizes learning. To learn more, look up the museum: The Cleveland Museum of Art.
Here, a woman dressed as a man replaces Fugen, a bodhisattva—a being among those considered enlightened in Buddhism—who symbolizes learning as a path to awakening and typically rides an elephant. The painting teaches the lesson of impermanence through the petals falling from the lotus flower the woman holds. It also alludes to the legend of Eguchi, a 12th-century courtesan who, following an encounter with a Buddhist monk-poet called Saigyō, revealed herself to be a manifestation of Fugen.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Kitao Masayoshi (1764–1824) was a Japanese artist, born in Edo.
See the richer artist page
