Summer and Winter Landscapes

Maker(s)
Artist: Shiokawa Bunrin 塩川文麟 (1808-1877)
Historical period(s)
Edo period or Meiji era, Autumn, 1860
Medium
Ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H x W (each): 159.8 x 348.4 cm (62 15/16 x 137 3/16 in)
Geography
Japan
Credit Line
Purchase — funds provided by the bequest of Edith Ehrman
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1978.1-2
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Screens (six-panel)

Keywords
Edo period (1615 - 1868), Japan, landscape, man, Meiji era (1868 - 1912), mountain, rain, snow, summer, water, waterfall, winter
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

These landscapes of summer and winter reveal the artist's virtuosity in representing atmosphere and form using subtle tones of ink and color. From gray tones in the sky, snowy mountains emerge; distant peaks in the summer scene appear from enshrouding mists. One of the painter's seals expresses his intention to "transform brush and ink into smoke and mist."

The career of the painter Shiokawa Bunrin spanned from late in the Edo period (1615-1868) to early in the Meiji era (1868-1912).  His painting style predominantly reflects the realism characteristic of the Shijo school of Kyoto, where he lived and worked and influenced to other artists of the early Meiji era. He was also familiar with the Chinese styles practiced by Nanga painters, many of whom lived in the Kyoto region.

Published References
  • Julia Murray. A Decade of Discovery: Selected Acquisitions 1970-1980. Exh. cat. Washington, 1979. cat. 58, p. 77.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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