Executed in 2013, 69 Arhats Beneath the Bodhi Tree is an extraordinary work by Takashi Murakami, the largest of his Arhats paintings to ever be offered at auction. A response to the devastation caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011, 69 Arhats Beneath the Bodhi Tree follows Murakami’s internationally acclaimed, The 500 Arhats (2012), a vast multi-media work portraying wizened arhats—enlightened followers of Buddha—amongst mythical monsters and creatures. Rendered in his signature “Superflat” style which incorporates elements of traditional Japanese painting, ukiyo-e (woodblock prints from the Edo period), anime, and the kawaii aesthetic, 69 Arhats Beneath the Bodhi Tree and his Arhats paintings mark a significant turning point in the artist’s oeuvre, demonstrating Murakami’s sincere engagement with themes of religion and mortality in the wake of the 2011 national disaster. In 2015, the work was a highlight of Blum & Poe’s solo exhibition for Murakami at Lune Rouge Ibiza, where it was flanked by two striking red and blue demon sculptures who watched over the cycles of human karma pictured within the highly-stylised, graphic canvas.

Murakami’s first Arhats painting, the colossal The 500 Arhats, signalled a milestone in the artist’s career, synthesizing markedly spiritual themes in his signature composite “Superflat” style. After the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011 which saw more than 450,000 people become homeless and more than 15,500 people lose their lives, Murakami turned to the Buddhist legend of the 500 Hundred Arhats, which told the story of healing 500 types of human suffering. Indeed, The 500 Arhats was produced as a token of appreciation for the nation of Qatar, one of the first countries to offer Japan aid following the 2011 disaster. 100 metres long, the work attracted the attention of the international art world, and heralded Murakami’s significant return to his homeland, with the work exhibited at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo in 2015.

Murakami’s Arhats paintings draw upon the legends of the arhats as well as on famous artistic precedents that represent the religious subject, including Kano Kazunobu’s distinguished Five Hundred Arhats that dates back to the late Edo Period (19th century) and Nagasawa Rosetsu’s miniature Five Hundred Arhats from 1798. The arhats are the enlightened disciples of Buddha, those who have attained nirvana. Arhats reject all worldly passions, existing instead to disseminate the teachings of the Buddha. The representation of arhats is a common motif in traditional East Asian art, as seen in Chinese, Korean and Japanese art in particular, typically pictured in groups of 500, sixteen and eighteen. The figure of the arhat became a subject of renewed interest in the Edo period in Japan, as witnessed by Kano Kazunobu’s famous 100 scrolls.

Each of the intricately illustrated 69 Arhats are unique in their appearance, facing the viewer head-on. Differing in size and scale, the arhats litter the canvas, some bare chested, others partially covered in chromatic cloth of different patterns and textures. There is a distinct harmony and unity achieved through the symmetry of the work, with the arhats flanked by two lion-like figures, and dominated by the four large-scale spiritual followers of Buddha that stand either side of the Bodhi tree in pairs. With this work, Murakami presents the viewer with a visual feast, the canvas saturated with layers of symbols, images and colour for the viewer to devour. The Bodhi tree itself is loaded with spiritual significance, as it was at the Bodhi Tree where Siddhartha found enlightenment and became Buddha. By including this “Tree of Awakening” in his 21st Century interpretation of the traditional Japanese arhat paintings, a rare inclusion in his series, Murakami presents the viewer with a new site of meditation, urging self-reflection and introspection.

Rooted in Japanese culture, Murakami’s 69 Arhats Beneath the Bodhi Tree is a work of contemporary and historical significance. While its aesthetic is instantly recognisable as archetypal of Murakami’s “Superflat” graphic style, the subject matter makes it one of the artist’s more uncommon and outstanding works to come to market. Blurring the distinction between popular culture and fine art, Murakami explores themes of religion and traditional Japanese culture in a way that is both playful and profound, imbued with contemporary significance.

《菩 提樹下六十九羅漢》是村上隆於2013年創作的精妙傑作，同時亦即將成為拍場上有紀錄以來最大幅的「羅漢」系列畫作。藝術家面對2011年東日本大地震及海嘯所帶來的災難與創傷，先後於2012和2013年創作了《五百羅漢圖》及本作《菩提樹下六十九羅漢》，以作回應。《五百羅漢圖》是畫幅龐大的多媒體作品，描繪了佛陀座下修練智慧的羅漢，並以神話傳說中的怪獸與生物圍繞左右。本作一如國際藝壇讚譽有加的《五百羅漢圖》，採用了村上隆極具辨識度的「超扁平」風格，蘊含了日本自江戶時代流傳至今的傳統木刻版畫「浮世繪」元素，並參照了日本動漫和日式「kawaii」（可愛）的審美。《菩提樹下六十九羅漢》與「羅漢」系列標誌了藝術家作品中的重大轉折，展示了村上隆在經歷2011年的全國災難後，開始積極誠摯地透過作品探討宗教與死亡的主題。Blum & Poe 畫廊在2015年於伊維薩紅月藝術空間為村上隆舉辦個人畫展，而本作是該次畫展中的焦點拍品，由一紅一藍兩尊鮮明奪目的邪魔雕塑相伴左右。雕塑駐足凝望這幅別樹一幟的畫作中，細看人類因其一生業障而經歷天道輪迴。

《五百羅漢圖》是村上隆「羅漢」系列中的首幅畫作，這幅龐大的作品成為了藝術家生涯中的重要里程碑，標誌著他開始以自己最為經典的「超扁平」風格描繪與宗教相關的主題。2011年的東日本大地震及海嘯令超過45萬人流離失所，超過15,500人失去生命。村上隆因此轉向佛教五百羅漢拯救世人脫離五百種俗世劫難的傳說，創作《五百羅漢圖》送交卡塔爾，以感謝這個中東國家在日本2011年大地震後迅速伸出援手，成為全球首批積極震災的國家之一。這幅長達百米的作品於2015年在東京森美術館展出，隨即引起了全球藝壇的熱切關注，而村上隆再一次選擇以其祖國文化為作品主題，亦讓他贏盡掌聲。

村上隆的「羅漢」系列除了參照羅漢傳說外，亦受到不少過往以羅漢為題的著名藝術作品影響，包括狩野一信在江戶時代末（約19世紀）繪製的佳作《五百羅漢圖》，以及長澤蘆雪在1798年所作的《方寸五百羅漢圖》。羅漢是佛陀座下修習智慧的信徒，已摒棄七情六慾，超脫輪迴，入無餘涅槃之境，並以宣揚佛教學說為念。在東亞地區，尤其是中國、日本和韓國，羅漢是傳統藝術中經常出現的主題，一般以十六、十八和五百位的組合出現。羅漢的形象在日本江戶時代重新獲得藝壇關注，因此不少江戶時代的作品都有他們的身影，包括狩野一信所作、由多達一百幅圖組合而成的《五百羅漢圖》，而這幅鉅作亦成為了聞名於世的羅漢畫。

《菩提樹下六十九羅漢》中的羅漢都直面觀者，每一位都有著獨一無二的五官。這些羅漢大小尺寸各不相同，散布在畫布各處，有些袒胸露臂、有些則是穿上了圖案、面料各異的彩色衣裳。作品透過對稱構圖，營造圓滿和諧的效果，畫中的羅漢群左右兩端是各一隻仿若獅子的奇珍異獸，而菩提樹下兩旁亦各自畫上了一對尤為高大的得道信徒。村上隆在畫布上畫滿了層層相疊的標誌、圖像和色彩，向觀者呈現了一場視覺盛宴。菩提樹自身蘊含了豐富的宗教象徵意義──釋迦牟尼就是在菩提樹下悟道成佛，菩提樹亦因此被譽為「覺樹」。村上隆罕有以21世紀的角度重新詮釋傳統日本羅漢畫作，為觀者提供了嶄新的沉澱空間，鼓勵觀者反思自省。

村上隆的《菩提樹下六十九羅漢》深深植根於日本文化，無論是站在當代藝術又或歷史文化的角度而言，都別具意義。作品展現了村上隆作品中最為經典、極易辨識的「超扁平」繪畫風格，主題卻是藝術家較少涉獵的宗教精神及傳統文化，使之成為市場上難得一見的罕有佳作。村上隆刻意模糊流行文化與藝術間的界線，以趣味十足的手法探討莊嚴神聖的宗教主題和傳統日本文化，使之成為當代藝術界另一意義重大之作。