This astonishingly abstract painting, executed by the renowned Japanese artist Sesshu Toyo, exemplifies the “splashed ink” method. This approach is sometimes seen in depictions of the White-robed Kannon. Doing away with contours and outlines, Sesshu seems to have flung the ink at the picture in an unpremeditated manner. Inspiring other Japanese artists, such as the maker of the work on the left, this approach suggests that the bodhisattva spontaneously emerged from an undifferentiated expanse—a formal device that has metaphysical implications.