Recluse on excursion (Yujin koraku zu)

Maker Fukuda Kodojin Japanese, 1865-1944

Label TextThis sumptuous image introduces another facet of this poet-painter, known for his bold ink painting. Juxtaposing vivid blue and green against the shimmering gold background, Kodôjin creates a utopian landscape. Rich black ink strokes defining the rocks and trees impart a feeling of gravity to this unworldly scene, in which a scholar-recluse proceeds toward a rustic pavilion on the plateau. As a self-taught painter, Kodôjin felt no constraint in his artistic experimentation. His novel works were eagerly collected by the elite, who appreciated the naïve awkwardness of Kodôjin's painting as a hallmark of cultivated amateurism.

Object number2010.41.86

Photo CreditPhoto: Elizabeth Mann

Published ReferencesMarks, Andreas. The Art and Life of Fukuda Kodōjin: Japan's Great Poet and Landscape Artist. Exh cat. Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2022: pp: 192-193, reproduced pp. 192, no. 59. Cf. 2010.41.47, 2010.41.50.

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

DimensionsOverall : 85 x 24 3/4 in. (215.9 x 62.9cm) Image: 57 3/4 x 16 3/8 in. (146.7 x 41.6 cm)

MediumInk and mineral colors in gold-washed silk