The image of Water-Moon Avalokiteśvara was made famous in the Tang dynasty, with the bodhisattva portrayed with exquisite and refined details, appearing ethereally beautiful and at ease. With a bejeweled Buddhist headpiece adorning her head, she is seen with her eyes looking down and leisurely sitting on a rock, appearing very relaxed and at ease while she reads.
The accessories worn are magnificent and splendid, and light is shinning on the bodhisattva from the back, with towering bamboos and peculiar rocks situated in the background. The intense colors used on the central subject create a vivid contrast with the ink-colored background. The foreground and background created by Xia Jing Shan give the painting intricate layering effects and shows that whilst reflecting on one’s inner self, one must constantly keep Avalokiteśvara’s teaching in mind, and this is how the Buddha could then be seen.
简中｜自在观音如意得
Paintings
Xia Jing Shan
color on silk
94X47
1993
題跋：自在自觀觀自在如來如見見如來 夏荊山敬繪
印記：夏氏(朱文)、夏荊山印(朱文)
bj4743
