Recluse on excursion (Yujin koraku zu)

Japanese, 1865-1944

This 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.

Ink and mineral colors in gold-washed silk

Overall : 85in. (215.9cm) L X 24 3/4in. (62.9cm) W

Image h.: 57 3/4in. (146.7cm)

Image w.: 16 3/8in. (41.6cm)

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

2010.41.86

Photo: Elizabeth Mann

Not currently on view

Resources

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.

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