Landscapes of the Four Seasons
Datelate 1890s
Label TextRead from right to left, as if unfurling a handscroll, Sobun’s screen depicts the four seasons—spring, summer, fall and winter—in four celebrated Japanese landscapes. Spring is represented by the Tsukigase Valley in Nara prefecture, known for its plum blossoms announcing the arrival of a new year. To the left is the Shiraito Falls, with refreshing cascades evoking the pleasures of a summer’s day. Autumn is associated with many famous places in Japan, one of which is the area northwest of Kyoto along the Kiyotaki River, where crimson maple leaves light up the pine-covered hillsides. At the far left is winter, unmistakably represented by the snow-covered Togetsu Bridge at Arashiyama.
Object number2010.41.11
Published ReferencesMichiyo, Morioka; Berry, Paul. "Modern Masters of Kyoto: The Transformation of Japanese Painting Traditions," Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1999, p. 86, illus. 10.Credit LineGift of Griffith and Patricia Way, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum
Dimensionseach panel: 99 7/8 x 34 7/8 in. (253.7cm H X 57.2m W)
MediumFour-panel screen: ink and light colors on silk
early 1890s
Object number: 2010.41.19
Object number: 2010.41.94
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