Great Buddha

The Great Buddha — Daibutsu — most likely depicts the famous outdoor bronze Buddha at Kamakura or the enormous seated figure at Nara's Todai-ji Temple, both of which were subjects of intense artistic interest throughout the 20th century. Asano's rendering treats the colossal figure with the atmospheric sensitivity he brought to temple and shrine subjects, the Buddha's massive form emerging from or surrounded by the natural setting that gives outdoor sacred figures their particular blend of the monumental and the intimate. The subject's religious dimension adds a layer of significance beyond the purely architectural.