Zen Art/Modern Art
1 min readNov 19, 2018
“Classic” Zen art, with its minimalism and simplicity, its gesturing and metaphor both anticipated and influenced “modern” art in the West. But Zen art is not a relic of the past. It is still happening. No matter what tradition, what keeps it vital is its dynamism, as Pirsig might say. Take for instance the transformative art of Takashi Murakami. His works often take traditional Buddhist iconography and put a modern, often slick and pop-art veneer to them, combined with his own unique personality. Art takes artists to remain alive. Religion needs reformers to be relevant.
Now go sit.
