Recluse on excursion (Yujin koraku zu)
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 : 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)
Gift of Griffith and Patricia Way, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum
2010.41.86
Photo: Elizabeth Mann
