Kono Shuson, Sensei-Kyoto, Japan, 1976

The man pictured here, Kono Shuson, was a well-known sumi-e ink painter in Japan during the 1970’s. Sumi-e ink painting is a traditional Japanese art form, in which simple black ink is used to create a myriad of images. The experience is intended to be meditative, with origins in Zen Buddhism. To truly practice sumi-e, it is believed, one must first clear their mind completely and allow pure imagination to release the image onto the paper. The photographer, Lester F. Pross, was faculty at Berea College at the time that this photo was taken. From 1975-76, he studied under the great sumi-e ink masters of Kyoto, Japan, and his resulting photography offers a glimpse into this uniquely reflective, introspective art form.