Ren - 2

"Ren - 2" from the 1960s — the title meaning "lotus" or "love" or "connection" depending on the character used — applies one of Japanese culture's most resonant concepts to Maki Haku's abstract formal language. Worked in ink on paper in the early 1960s, this print likely predates his most heavily textured work, relying more on the quality of the calligraphic mark than on embossed surface. The ink-only medium gives "Ren - 2" an intimacy consistent with the brushed character of its title.