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Hyperallergic published an excerpt from Will Heinrich’s forthcoming book From Darkness to Darkness, a chapter titled “Six Persimmons.” The piece follows an art critic named Jonah as he travels to San Francisco to see a celebrated Chinese ink painting; the supplied excerpt does not establish the painting’s exhibition dates or describe the visit’s outcome.
Hyperallergic has published an excerpt from Will Heinrich’s forthcoming book From Darkness to Darkness, a chapter titled “Six Persimmons” about an art critic’s journey to see a celebrated Chinese ink painting. The excerpt centers on the critic, Jonah, and his plans to travel from New York to San Francisco for an exhibition, while also reflecting on work, family and the experience of being alone.
The article identifies the piece as an excerpt from Heinrich’s book, published by Thousand Horsemen Press in summer 2026 and available online and through independent booksellers. Hyperallergic’s editor’s note says the chapter is reproduced with permission and retains its copyright notice. The headline calls the painting “The Zen Mona Lisa,” while the excerpt refers to it as a famous Chinese ink painting depicting persimmons.
In the chapter, Jonah recalls choosing the exhibition for a newspaper’s fall arts preview and asking to review the show. His editor agrees to the assignment but says the arts section has no travel budget because of the cost of covering the war in Ukraine. Jonah says he intends to go anyway; he later books a low-cost flight using credit card points and arranges to stay with a cousin.
The excerpt describes the trip’s preparations and Jonah’s reflections before he sees the painting. It says the work is attributed to Muqi Fachang, an artist active in the 13th century, and had been kept at a Japanese monastery after arriving there nearly 300 years after its creation. The passage says it had been mostly rolled up and hidden since the early 1500s. The supplied text ends during Jonah’s visit to San Francisco’s Chinatown, before recounting his encounter with the painting.
A Painting and a Critic’s Return
The publication offers readers a literary account of an art critic’s relationship with both the work he travels to see and the routine surrounding his profession. Jonah’s trip is presented not as an assignment with expenses covered, but as a choice he makes despite the lack of a travel budget. That detail gives the chapter’s art-world premise a practical dimension: seeing an exhibition in person can require personal time and money, even for a critic writing about it.
The excerpt also frames the journey through changes in Jonah’s life. Earlier travel meant escaping ordinary routines; now he is a parent with a young child and describes the trip as closer to an errand than an adventure. The painting becomes a focus for a broader personal story, though the passage provided does not show what Jonah concludes after seeing it or how he evaluates the exhibition.
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The Exhibition Behind the Chapter
Jonah’s assignment begins with the annual work of compiling a newspaper’s fall museum-show preview. The excerpt describes that task as a time-consuming review of press releases and short descriptions, often done while exhausted. A particular exhibition stays with him: a rare showing of a well-known ink painting at San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum.
The chapter says the painting came from a Japanese monastery that had acquired it when it was nearly 300 years old, and that it was largely kept rolled up and out of sight from the early 1500s onward. It does not give the exhibition’s dates or explain the arrangements that allowed the work to travel. The chapter’s stated publication details are clearer: it is an excerpt from From Darkness to Darkness, credited to Heinrich and scheduled for publication by Thousand Horsemen Press in summer 2026.
The Painting Visit Is Not Included
The supplied excerpt does not reach Jonah’s visit to Six Persimmons, so it does not establish what he sees, how he responds to the painting, or what he ultimately writes about the exhibition. It also does not provide the show’s dates, the painting’s formal exhibition history, or further details about its travel from Japan to San Francisco. The painting is described as attributed to Muqi Fachang, rather than definitively identified as his work.
The source presents this as a book chapter, not as a report documenting a newly announced exhibition. The available material does not say whether the exhibition is current, forthcoming or already past. Readers should not infer its schedule from the chapter’s narrative alone.
Book Publication and Full Chapter
From Darkness to Darkness is scheduled for publication by Thousand Horsemen Press in summer 2026, according to Hyperallergic’s editor’s note. The excerpt says the book will be available online and through independent booksellers. The supplied source does not identify a specific release date or say when the full chapter will be available to readers outside the book.
For the exhibition itself, the excerpt provides no next milestone or current schedule. Any dates, access information or further details about the painting’s display would need confirmation from the Asian Art Museum or another source.
Key Questions
What is “The Zen Mona Lisa”?
It is the headline used by Hyperallergic for its article about a chapter called “Six Persimmons.” The chapter concerns a celebrated Chinese ink painting depicting persimmons.
Who wrote the excerpt?
The excerpt is by Will Heinrich and comes from his book From Darkness to Darkness, according to Hyperallergic’s editor’s note.
Who is credited with painting Six Persimmons?
The source says the painting is attributed to Muqi Fachang, a Chinese artist active in the 13th century. The wording indicates an attribution, not a definitive confirmation of authorship.
Does the excerpt say when the painting was on display?
No. The supplied passage refers to an exhibition at San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum but gives no dates or current visitor information.
When is From Darkness to Darkness due out?
Hyperallergic’s editor’s note says Thousand Horsemen Press is publishing the book in summer 2026. No exact release date is provided.
Source: hyperallergic.com
