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Photo: Eduardo Calderon
River Gorge in Autumn
Photo: Eduardo Calderon

River Gorge in Autumn

Date1920's
Label TextShunsui's training under Yamamoto Shunkyo (1871-1936) included lessons in mountaineering. Shunkyo suggested journeys to remote mountain areas to sketch wildlife. Both the subject matter and painting technique of Shunsui's painting reflect Shunkyo's teachings. The angular, fractured quality of the gorge's rocks-their massiveness contrasted with the minuscule boats tethered at the river's edge-was a signature feature in both artists' work. Shunsui, whose name means "spring green," paid special tribute to his teacher in his use of color, with the turquoise of the water and vibrant yellow-green of the mountain grasses lending a fantastic edge to a closely observed natural setting.
Object number2010.41.58
Photo CreditPhoto: Eduardo Calderon
Published ReferencesMichiyo, Morioka; Berry, Paul. "Modern Masters of Kyoto: The Transformation of Japanese Painting Traditions," Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1999, p. 192, illus. 53.
Credit LineGift of Griffith and Patricia Way, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum
Dimensions82 1/8 x 14 1/8 in. (208.6 x 35.9 cm)
MediumInk and light color on silk
Photo: Eduardo Calderon
Kubota Beisen
ca. 1890
Object number: 2010.41.78
Photo: Eduardo Calderon
Ono Chikkyo
ca. 1925
Object number: 2010.41.68
Landscapes of the Four Seasons
Morikawa Sobun
late 1890s
Object number: 2010.41.11
Fukuda Kodojin
late 1920s
Object number: 2010.41.83
Landscape with Two Travelers
Suzuki Shonen
1912
Object number: 2010.41.14
Kano Isen'in
Object number: 2010.41.121.2
Su's Embankment on a Spring Morning
Tomioka Tessai
1867
Object number: 2010.41.18
Photo: Eduardo Calderon
Konoshima Okoku
late 1910s
Object number: 2010.41.61
Photo: Eduardo Calderon
Tomita Keisen
ca.1917
Object number: 2010.41.40
Photo: Eduardo Calderon
Okochi Yako
late 1930s
Object number: 2010.41.76