Sanjo Bridge and Daigokuden

1896

Japanese, 1834 - 1913

Gyokusen’s extensive use of gold leaf to represent clouds and mist is a time-honored technique in Japanese painting, yet the foliage shows the influence of the realist Shijo school. The right screen portrays distinctive Sanjo Bridge at the height of cherry blossom season. Sanjo Bridge would carry travelers across the Kamo River and into the heart of the imperial capital of Kyoto. The left screen’s wintry snowscape features an architectural symbol of modern Kyoto and of Meiji Japan: Daigokuden, the central hall of the Heian Jingu shrine, which was built in 1895 to commemorate the 1100-year anniversary of the founding of the Imperial capital.

Pair of six-panel screens: ink, gold and colors on silk

53 5/8 x 111 1/2 in. (136.2 x 283.2 cm)

Overall: 53 5/8 in. x 223 in. (136.2 x 283.2 cm)

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

2010.41.8

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Legends, Tales, Poetry: Visual Narrative in Japanese Art, December 22, 2012 - July 21, 2013

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum "Journeys in Landscape: Modern Art in Japan", November 26, 2004 - January 30, 2006

Published ReferencesMichiyo, Morioka; Berry, Paul. "Modern Masters of Kyoto: The Transformation of Japanese Painting Traditions," Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1999, p. 97-98, illus. 13.

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Sanjo Bridge and Daigokuden

Sanjo Bridge and Daigokuden

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