Landscapes of the Four Seasons

late 1890s

Japanese, 1847 - 1902

Read from right to left, as if unfurling a handscroll, Sobun’s screen depicts the four seasons—spring, summer, fall and winter—in four celebrated Japanese landscapes. Spring is represented by the Tsukigase Valley in Nara prefecture, known for its plum blossoms announcing the arrival of a new year. To the left is the Shiraito Falls, with refreshing cascades evoking the pleasures of a summer’s day. Autumn is associated with many famous places in Japan, one of which is the area northwest of Kyoto along the Kiyotaki River, where crimson maple leaves light up the pine-covered hillsides. At the far left is winter, unmistakably represented by the snow-covered Togetsu Bridge at Arashiyama.

Four-panel screen: ink and light colors on silk

each panel: 99 7/8 x 34 7/8 in. (253.7cm H X 57.2m W)

Gift of Griffith and Patricia Way, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum

2010.41.11

Not currently on view

Resources

Published ReferencesMichiyo, Morioka; Berry, Paul. "Modern Masters of Kyoto: The Transformation of Japanese Painting Traditions," Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1999, p. 86, illus. 10.

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

Learn more about Equity at SAM