The Standing Buddha at the Nezu Museum was coolly lit

I am not sure if it is because I have become immune to crowds, or if it is simply a change of heart. However, I have become more interested in permanent exhibitions rather than special exhibitions at art museums. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more museums have begun to require reservations by day and time, so I rarely have to wait in line to buy a ticket and then view the exhibits under crowded conditions, as I used to do. However, special exhibitions are still more crowded than permanent exhibitions. If you want to immerse yourself in the works on display, it is definitely better to go to the permanent exhibition.

For example, the Nezu Museum's Standing Buddha, a nearly 3-meter-tall stone statue created in the 6th century, stands right next to the entrance to the exhibition room, and few people stop to look at it, even though it should be in the view of everyone entering the room. It is not a situation that can be said to be attracting much attention. However, there are some things that an amateur can notice when staring at such stone statues. The Standing Buddha, of which a photograph appears on the official website of the Nezu Museum, gives a different impression in real life than in the photograph.

The reason for this difference is the size of the head: the photo on the website shows a large head, while the actual statue in the museum does not seem so large. The head is not emphasized because the viewer is looking up from his feet. Although I do not know where this stone statue was placed, worshippers must have faced it from the feet up. The maker must have taken such positioning into consideration when deciding on the balance of the body.

I am not sure if this is the correct way of looking at it. However, it is fun to have various fantasies about a single stone statue. One of the advantages of the permanent exhibition is that visitors can easily go back and look at the works again, even if new questions come to mind. If I wanted to do the same thing with a work that was exhibited in a special exhibition, I might have to go abroad.

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