In a northern wing of New York¡¯s Metropolitan Museum of Art ¡ª at the opposite end from Cezanne¡¯s apples and one floor above the first-century B.C. Temple of Dendur ¡ª is a work of intense suffering and surprising complexity.
The Death of the Historical Buddha, a hanging scroll from the Kamakura Period (1185-1333), depicts the body of the Buddha surrounded by grievers in a grove in Kushinagar, in India¡¯s Uttar Pradesh. He has just died and reached final enlightenment, a moment that¡¯s commonly depicted and hung as a scroll (called Nehan-zu) in temples annually to celebrate his death. This particular painting, on display as part of an exhibition called ¡°Anxiety and Hope in Japanese Art,¡± is an excellent early example of such a work, says Aaron Rio, the museum¡¯s associate curator of Japanese art.
At first glance, it¡¯s a scene of profound sadness: A throng of Buddha¡¯s followers ¡ª attendants, priests, even deities and animals ¡ª are shown crying out in sorrow, covering their eyes and clutching their faces. Buddha¡¯s mother, who died shortly after his birth, is shown weeping from heaven. Even the color of some trees is muted, as if they too are in mourning.
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