Drawn Toward Enlightenment

Since Zen is known for conundrums, it seems only fitting to suggest that a good way to appreciate the paintings of 18th-century Japanese Buddhist master Hakuin Ekaku is by looking at work by 21st-century New Zealander Max Gimblett.

Both are on view at the Japan Society Gallery, and while "The Sound of One Hand: Paintings and Calligraphy by Zen Master Hakuin" is by far the bigger draw, Mr. Gimblett's series of 10 "oxherding" paintings provides a useful entry point.

Mr. Gimblett's paintings of a herder searching for an ox are ink on paper, accompanied by writer Lewis Hyde's reinterpretation of the classic parable about the journey toward enlightenment. Mr. Gimblett is a lay Zen monk, and his work fits right in with what we expect when we hear the word "Zen." His brushstrokes variously splash, explode and restrain the ink in forms that embody his meditative response—the wall text tells us he executed them "in one breath."

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