MASTERPIECES OF JAPANESE CALLIGRAPHY TO PREMIERE AT HARVARD'S ARTHUR M. SACKLER MUSEUM

Exhibition Explores Artistic Traditions Through the 20th Century and Features Works Never Before Publicly Displayed

Marks of Enlightenment, Traces of Devotion: Japanese Calligraphy and Painting from the Sylvan Barnet and William Burto Collection On View December 23, 2004 - April 17, 2005

CAMBRIDGE, MA (October 25, 2004) - An exhibition featuring more than 70 Japanese works of Buddhist scripture, Zen calligraphy, and other writings will premiere at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum on December 23, 2004, and remain on view through April 17, 2005. Marks of Enlightenment, Traces of Devotion: Japanese Calligraphy and Painting from the Sylvan Barnet and William Burto Collection marks the first public presentation of many of the works, and is the first exhibition drawn entirely from the private collection of Sylvan Barnet and William Burto - the preeminent collection of its kind in the U.S. This exhibition celebrates Barnet and Burto's long-standing relationship with the Harvard University Art Museums, which began with their interest in the teachings of John M. Rosenfield, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Professor of East Asian Art, Emeritus, and grew through the lending of their works to Harvard for study by students and scholars.

Organized by Anne Rose Kitagawa, Harvard's assistant curator of Japanese art, Marks of Enlightenment will offer insight into the calligraphic, religious, and literary traditions of Japan, and the evolution of calligraphy as an art form. The expressiveness and graphic qualities of calligraphy make the works engaging to all viewers, even to those unfamiliar with the Japanese language. The exhibition will be presented chronologically and thematically, ranging from early religious writings, paintings, and objects through modern works, and will include:

• Religious paintings, including four mandalas, or cosmic diagrams, representing both the Buddhist and Shinto traditions;
• Buddhist scriptures and objects, including sculpture, ritual implements, and devotional items such as miniature pagodas;
• Private "casual" writings such as letters and diaries by notable Japanese cultural figures;
• Zen and Zen-influenced calligraphy by Chinese and Japanese masters; and
• Two modern works by Morita Shiryu (1926-1989), which have never before been on public view.

"The Barnet and Burto collection has long played an important role in the teaching of Asian art at Harvard," said Thomas W. Lentz, Elizabeth and John Moors Cabot Director of the Harvard University Art Museums. "Developed through a dynamic collaboration between literary scholars strongly influenced by the teachings of Harvard Professor John M. Rosenfield, the collection was shaped by their shared passion for seeking the deeper essence and nature of Japanese art and culture. This exhibition is a tribute to the interdisciplinary exchange that formed the collection, as well as testament to the perseverance and foresight of two intellectually and visually adventurous individuals."

Early Religious Material
The first section of Marks of Enlightenment will feature examples of sutras, or Buddhist scriptures, dating from the 7th through 13th centuries. The lavish materials and decoration of these texts reveal the aristocratic calligraphers' desire to present their material in a manner worthy of the Buddha. One example is the Story of the Bodhisattva Medicine King from Chapter 23 of the Lotus Sutra. Its decorated paper ground features gold and silver flakes, gold ruled lines, and images of lotus plants in the margins. The exhibition will also include works representing the native Japanese Shinto religion such as the Kasuga Shrine Mandala painting. Unlike more common Buddhist mandalas, which are diagrams of figures in complex geometric patterns, this Shinto painting depicts a naturalistic view of the landscape around Nara's Kasuga Shrine.

Japanese Poetry
The poetry section of Marks of Enlightenment will illuminate the high respect accorded to the literary arts and the complex Japanese tradition of combining words and images. Instead of using Chinese characters (a system adopted by the Japanese beginning in the 7th century) to write poetry, the Japanese developed two phonetic syllabaries, or "alphabets" (characters that have sound value but no meaning): hiragana and katakana. Of the two, the flowing hiragana came into much wider use. This section of the show will highlight an ethereal hanging scroll, Hazy Evening Moon, by 19th-century Buddhist nun Otagaki Rengetsu. Unlike the verses written on many other Japanese poetry paintings, this one was authored by the artist herself - based on her autobiography - and written in her own hand. The only pictorial image is a circle of gray inkwash that calls to mind not only the moon of Rengetsu's poem, but also the category of enso, or Zen circle paintings, which symbolize the enlightened mind.

Casual Writings
Among the "casual" writings in the exhibition will be both a diary entry and a letter by the famed Japanese Buddhist priest Myoe Koben. Myoe's diary records his night visions in Chinese characters mixed with block-like katakana, the script encountered least in fine calligraphy. Humble, private, and not intended for posterity, such writings offer insight into the personalities of their calligraphers, for in traditional East Asia it was believed that a person's inner character was visible in not only the content but the style of their handwriting.

Zen "Ink Traces"
Marks of Enlightenment will also feature Zen-inspired works such as Portrait of Zen Abbot Shun'oku Myoha, embellished with an inscription in the sitter's own hand and based on a life study of the abbot. Zen portraits of this type often functioned as diplomas presented to disciples at the end of their apprenticeships. The exhibition will also feature writings by noted Zen priests, called "ink traces," or bokuseki. Instead of writing Japanese-style poems in flowing hiragana, these Zen masters wrote introspective Chinese-style verses in forceful Chinese characters, as seen in the ancient Chinese verse There is No One in the Mountain by Zen monk Zekkai Chushin. The expressionistic influence of bokuseki affected the style and subject matter of Zen and non-Zen artists alike. One illuminating example by Jiun Onko is the boldly brushed image of the Indian monk Bodhidharma - the man credited with introducing Zen into China in the early 6th century. It shows a schematic depiction of the sage in seated meditation with two huge, powerful Chinese characters reading "Don't know" written above, hinting at the illusory nature of knowledge. Jiun is represented by six works in the Barnet and Burto collection, which will be displayed together for the first time at Harvard.

Modern Japanese Calligraphy
Among the modern pieces in the exhibition will be works by calligrapher Morita Shiryu, including the four-panel lacquered folding screen Dragon Knows Dragon. Morita was keenly aware of both the history of East Asian calligraphy and the development of Abstract Expressionism in the West, and in his own works sought to transcend the barriers between cultures in order to produce a new, truly international art. This screen and a smaller work by the same calligrapher make their public debut in the Harvard exhibition.

The Barnet and Burto Collection and Harvard
Harvard University alumni and retired Boston-area professors of English literature, Sylvan Barnet and William Burto have been collecting Asian art for over 40 years. The presentation of their collection at Harvard's Arthur M. Sackler Museum will provide viewers with the opportunity to study their works in an intimate setting, as generations of Harvard students have done at the collectors' home. In addition to providing a rare chance to learn about calligraphy from examples of the highest quality, Marks of Enlightenment will be a potent educational resource, providing a touchstone for teachers of art, religion, history, literature, and cultural studies.

"In East Asia, calligraphy is the most respected of the visual arts, and yet, probably because it is so difficult to decipher, most collectors favor more accessible media," said Anne Rose Kitagawa, curator of the exhibition. "Barnet and Burto's emphasis on calligraphy offers an opportunity to explore this fundamentally important medium and to reflect on the religious traditions that inspired many works."

The Art of Japanese Calligraphy Symposium
On February 12, 2005, the Harvard University Art Museums will present an M. Victor Leventritt Symposium entitled The Art of Japanese Calligraphy. Moderated by curator Anne Rose Kitagawa, the symposium will include talks by Nicole Fabricand-Person (Lafayette College, Easton, PA); Yukio Lippit (Harvard University); Gregory P. Levine (University of California Berkeley), Andrew Hare (Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.), and Christine Guth (Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA).

"We are delighted to provide a forum for these eminent scholars to present their insights concerning works in the Barnet and Burto collection," said Robert D. Mowry, Alan J. Dworsky Curator of Chinese Art and Head of the Department of Asian Art at the Harvard University Art Museums. "Both our exhibition and symposium will demonstrate the central role played by university art museums in the dissemination of knowledge. As always, we aim to present new research in fields that are challenging to scholars, while celebrating the beauty of East Asian art."

Exhibition Support
Marks of Enlightenment is made possible by the Anthony M. Solomon Exhibition Fund.

About the Harvard University Art Museums
The Harvard University Art Museums are one of the world's leading arts institutions, with the Arthur M. Sackler, Busch-Reisinger, and Fogg art museums, the Straus Center for Conservation, and the U.S. headquarters for the Archaeological Exploration of Sardis, an excavation project in western Turkey.

The Harvard University Art Museums are distinguished by the range and depth of their collections, their groundbreaking exhibitions, and the original research of their staff. As an integral part of the Harvard community, the three art museums serve as a resource for all students, adding a special dimension to their areas of study. The public is welcome to experience the collections and exhibitions as well as to enjoy lectures, symposia, and other programs.

For more than a century, the Harvard University Art Museums have been the nation's premier training ground for museum professionals and scholars and are renowned for their role in the development of the discipline of art history in this country.

Location and Hours
The Fogg Art Museum and the Busch-Reisinger Museum are located at 32 Quincy Street in Cambridge. The Arthur M. Sackler Museum is located next door at 485 Broadway. Each Museum is a short walk from the Harvard Square MBTA station.

Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday 1 - 5 p.m.; the Museums are closed on national holidays. Admission is $6.50; $5 for seniors; $5 for students; and free for those under 18 years of age. The Museums are free to everyone Saturday mornings, 10 a.m. - noon. The Harvard University Art Museums receive support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. More detailed information is available at 617-495-9400 or on the Internet at www.artmuseums.harvard.edu.

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For more information on this appointment or the Harvard University Art Museums, please contact:

Matthew Barone
Harvard University Art Museums
tel 617-495-2397; fax 617-496-9762
mbarone@fas.harvard.edu

or

Kim Gilbert/Casey Barber
Resnicow Schroeder Associates
tel 212-671-5157; fax 212-595-8354
kgilbert@resnicowschroeder.com
cbarber@resnicowschroeder.com