Early Summer at a Lake

ca. 1917

Japanese, 1889-1969

After his youth was spent drifting from city to city as a vagabond, Teruo found spiritual refuge when he moved to a village south of Kyoto in 1921. This landscape painting presents a tranquil ravine, effectively conveying the intimacy of a hidden utopia remote from modern city. The shading of the rocks, the depiction of the water, and the impressionistic use of color patches in the middle ground, inspired by contemporary European oil painting techniques, give a glimpse of the avant-garde side of this intriguing painter.

Ink and colors on silk

80 in. x 15 3/16 in. (203.2 x 38.6cm)

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

2010.41.54

Photo: Eduardo Calderon

Not currently on view

Resources

Published ReferencesMorioka, Michiyo; Berry, Paul. "Modern Masters of Kyoto: The Transformation of Japanese Painting Traditions," Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1999, p. 274, illus. 77.

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