赏石 (Kitsune), 2023
tempera and acrylic ink on canvas
150 x 200 cm
On Request
赏石 (Kitsune) The elusive figurative scene in this painting was washed out of an oily tempera base coat with very watery ink. As the water was worked into the base it 'ate' holes into it, leaving behind a porous texture that spans the entire painting. Both in formation and appearance the perforated figures allude to the naturally water-eroded scholar's rocks, (shang- or gongshi), which forms the Chinese part of the painting's title. These rocks are cherished for their natural beauty (something I can very much relate to, especially as the stones beauty is considered enhanced the more asymmetrical, porous and thinned out the sculpture is) and sometimes believed to have an inherent, often powerful spirit. The fox, Kitsune in Japanese, is considered a magical creature in both Chinese and Japanese Mythology. In many legendary tales the Kitsune (which can sport up to nine tails) is portrayed as a powerful spirit and a shapeshifter that can transform into a human, more often than not a woman. The elusive figurative scene in this painting was washed out of an oily tempera base coat with very watery ink. As the water was worked into the base it 'ate' holes into it, leaving behind a porous texture that spans the entire painting. As it is mostly the case with Rebekka Steigers works, the title of this painting - 赏石 (Kitsune) - came to her a while after the work was already finished. Trying to find the titles for her paintings doing associative research on the internet or in books, Steiger feels as this is often an opportunity to learn about subjects or stories that she would otherwise not stumble upon. The research for this title was especially fruitful in that respect. Both in formation and appearance the perforated figures allude to the naturally water-eroded scholar's rocks, (shang- or gongshi), which forms the Chinese part of the painting's title. These rocks are cherished for their natural beauty (something Steiger can very much relate to, especially as the stones beauty is considered enhanced the more asymmetrical, porous and thinned out the sculpture is) and sometimes believed to have an inherent, often powerful spirit. The fox, Kitsune in Japanese, is considered a magical creature in both Chinese and Japanese Mythology. In many legendary tales the Kitsune (which can sport up to nine tails) is portrayed as a powerful spirit and a shapeshifter that can transform into a human, more often than not a woman. A Japanese friend of Steiger brought it to her attention, that in at least one case a Kitsune is also believed to have turned into stone: the killing stone of Nikko National Park. Though this Kitsune stone is not (yet) a scholar's rock, but a compact massive stone, it has however recently ruptured succumbing to years of erosion through rain and sulphuric gases. According to a New York Times article from March 2022 the story of this Kitsune called Tamamo no Mae “sprang from the real world of palace politics”, wherein the beautiful seductive woman and evil fox spirit was made responsible for the demise of an emperor, the actual historic figure emperor Toba, and the successive crisis to his death. The rupture of the stone is now read in different ways by the local Japanese: Whilst some believe the evil spirit is set loose on the world to wreak havoc once again, others seem to think the stone broke shouldering the many woes of the world and that perhaps a powerful Kitsune spirit is just what this world needs to deal with it’s many crises.