Two Cranes Standing
late 18th century
Recognized as one of the most innovative and visionary painters of his day, Jakuchū created works that ranged from colorful and meticulously detailed paintings of birds and flowers on silk to bold ink paintings like this one drawn from classical Chinese painting. Born into a family of wholesale greengrocers in Nishiki-kōji, a food market in central Kyoto, Jakuchū received a traditional painter’s training in old Chinese and Japanese paintings but also closely investigated the forms, textures, and movement of vegetables, birds, marine life, and plants. Also a devoted lay practitioner of Zen Buddhism, he counted Daiten Kenjō (1719–1801), a Zen luminary and abbot of the powerful monastery Shōkokuji in Kyoto, as a close friend and frequent artistic collaborator.
Hanging scroll; ink on paper
Overall (incl. mounting, endknobs, hanging braid): 82 5/16 × 25 in. (209 × 63.5 cm)
Image: 45 1/4 × 17 15/16 in. (115 × 45.5 cm)
Gift of friends in memory of Grant I. Butterbaugh
61.180
