Figures in Landscape

1834

Japanese, 1793 - 1865

In this landscape, a Chinese gentleman seems to enjoy a summer view, appreciating the rich green of the trees and the gentle sound of a water stream on which mandarin ducks are floating. An opened window lets us glance at the books and tea utensils at hand in his study room.

Among the Japanese artists studying Chinese literati painting during the Edo period, Shijo-school artists--including the artist of this painting--assimilated the clear and elegant style while suggesting a lyrical feeling in their work. Yokoyama Seiki was famous during his lifetime as one of the four most distinguished painters active in Kyoto. It is said that this well-balanced Shijo style became the main source from which modern painting, generally called Nihonga, has emerged in the late nineteenth century.

Ink and color on silk

40 13/16 x 20 1/16 in. (103.7 x 51 cm)

Gift of Laura Elizabeth Ingham in honor of Amalia Partridge Ingham

94.151

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "A Sack Full of Tigers: Diffusion and Diversity in Japanese Painting of the 19th Century Diffusion and Diversity in Japanese Painting", December 6, 1997 - November 15, 1998

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