The Meaning of a Character | Artwork by Morita Shiryū in the Asian Art Auction

Morita Shiryū, native of Toyooka in Hyōgo Prefecture, was introduced in 1935 to artistic calligraphy by the calligraphy master Ueda Sōkyō in Tokyo. In 1948, he founded the magazine ‘Sho no bi’, which was followed-up by ‘Bokubi’ in 1950. Here, the focus was on engaging with Western art and highlighting the abstract beauty of ink forms. However, abstract art could not achieve what could be expressed through the written character. Living in Kyoto from 1950, Morita found his spiritual mentor in the Zen philosopher Hisamatsu Shin’ichi. The Bokujinkai (Ink-Man Group) was founded, of which Inoue Yūichi was also a member. Morita developed his individual style around 1960: characters painted with verve, in broad strokes and exploding into splashes. Movement becomes form. The content and deep meaning of a character were his starting point. 

In the mid-1960s, he began (and continued into the 1980s) to experiment with new materials, using aluminum paste on multiple layers of black paper. The surface was then coated with yellow alkyd varnish (urushi), whose yellowish tint gave the characters a golden hue. The aluminum flake pigment in polyvinyl acetate medium, which inevitably had a thick, impasto-like quality, clearly revealed the brushstrokes. It intensifies the line and adds a sense of space.