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Reserving the Mundane Life

貯塵

1979

Aoyama Sanu 青山杉雨

(Japanese, 1912–1993)
Japan, Shōwa period (1926–89)
ink on paper
Image: 43 x 68.5 cm (16 15/16 x 26 15/16 in.); Framed: 57 x 83 cm (22 7/16 x 32 11/16 in.)
Gift of Aoyama Keiji 2011.16
Location: not on view
This artwork is known to be under copyright.

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Description

Read from right to left, the two characters in this calligraphy translate to “storing up dust” (chojin). The word used for dust appears in Buddhist sacred texts, where it can refer to everyday life. Aoyama Sanu’s phrase means to contemplate the moments making up an ordinary existence. It prompts contemplation of dust, and invites the viewer to consider the endlessly shifting nature of the materials that constitute our lives.
Reserving the Mundane Life

Reserving the Mundane Life

1979

Aoyama Sanu

(Japanese, 1912–1993)
Japan, Shōwa period (1926–89)

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