NARRATOR:
Titled Work, this monumental piece was created with sumi ink on paper by Hidai Nankoku in 1964. The vertical composition measures approximately 460 centimetres in height and 350 centimetres in width, which is higher than the height of a storey, and about 4 times as wide as a standard door.
On a faintly yellow piece of paper are four curved lines in heavy black calligraphic strokes. The first and second curved lines feature in the upper section of the paper and run around the axis, taking up about three-quarters of the space. The third and the fourth curved lines, with one running on top of the other, feature in the lower section and take up about one-quarter of the space. The width of each line is approximately that of two outstretched adult hands.
The first curved line is shaped like the capital letter ‘S’. The stroke starts on the right side of the axis in the upper section of the paper and runs in a curve to the left, crosses the axis and sweeps downwards at a slant. There, it turns in a curve to the right and crosses the axis again, taking a pause as it reaches the left side, and ends with an upward finish. The ink is heavier at the pause, and there’re traces of the brush’s upward movement at the end of the line.
The second curved line is arch-shaped, and it opens towards the right of the lower section as it wraps around from the top side to the left side of the first curved line. It begins above the start of the first curved line and close to the margin of the paper. This stroke runs downwards to the left, then it sweeps, pauses, and ends. The finish almost touches the end of the first curved line.
The third curved line is also arch-shaped, and it opens upwards. The inside arch looks as if it were embracing the lower half of the first curved line, while the two ends of the stroke curve slightly outwards.
The fourth curved line has a similar shape as the third, but it opens downwards. The inside arch is relatively flat, and it lies close to the bottom of the third curved line, as if the two lines were standing with their back to each other, while the two ends of the stroke curve slightly inwards.
The four curved lines are rendered in heavy shades of ink. The strokes are rough around the edges, leaving dynamic traces of the brush’s movement on the paper. The four curved lines together bring to mind a large ding, the Chinese ritual vessel. The first and second curved lines evoke the burning flame inside the ding, and the third and fourth curved lines resemble the body and legs of the ding.
