Landscape
Date1840
Maker
Uragami Shunkin
Japanese, 1779 - 1846
Label TextA life in nature, away from the distractions of the mundane world, is an ideal state as perceived by the literati in China. Japanese artists studying the Chinese-inspired literati tradition, since the thirteenth century onward, often represented the landscape imagery learned from Southern Song to Ming paintings. In the heart of this scenery dominated by tall peaks, two gentlemen enjoy a conversation in a humble residence within hearing of a nearby murmuring stream.
After traveling throughout Japan with his father, the great literati artist Gyokudo Shunkin (1779-1846) eventually established a reputation as a painter, poet and qin player, and as a member of the literati group in Kyoto. Although generally known for his small-scale work, Shunkin here gives full play to his abilities with a monumental composition and carefully structured spatial expression.
Object number2000.159
Credit LineGift of Terry Welch in memory of Richard Washburn Welch
Dimensions101 1/2 x 48 in. (257.8 x 121.9 cm), overall
68 x 38 in. painting
MediumInk and color on paper
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