Echoes of Broadway

Mark Tobey

1964

Tempera on paper

Dallas Museum of Art

In his art and life, Mark Tobey gracefully blended Eastern and Western beliefs and values, seeking to join the physical and the spiritual worlds. As a young boy growing up along the banks of the Mississippi in Wisconsin, Tobey developed his keen sense of and deep respect for the outer, visible world of nature. He was equally dedicated to his spiritual life. This commitment led him to convert to the Baha'i World Faith, which emphasizes the unity of all creation; similar values are to be found in Zen Buddhism, which he studied in Japan. While in a Buddhist monastery in Kyoto in 1934, Tobey practiced Japanese calligraphy, which inspire