Summer and Winter Landscapes
Terms of Use
Usage Conditions ApplyAt A Glance
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Period
Autumn, 1860 -
Geography
Japan -
Material
Ink and color on paper -
Dimension
H x W (each): 159.8 x 348.4 cm (62 15/16 x 137 3/16 in) -
Accession Number
F1978.1-2 -
EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_F1978.1-2
Object Details
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Artist
Shiokawa Bunrin 塩川文麟 (1808-1877) -
Description
A pair of six panel screens depicting summer and winter landscapes.F1978.1 "Summer Landscape" depicts a steamy summer landscape, where rain and a waterfall suggest the sounds of water. In the shade of several leafy trees is a humble cottage, the destination of the man crossing the footbridge. Typical Nanga foliage patterns in ink and pale washes of cool color suggest variety among the trees. Distant mountain peaks, nearly hidden by mist, lend depth to the scene.F1978.2 "Winter Landscape" is economically rendered with the snow-covered mountains silhouetted against an ink-darkened sky. A few dark crevices contour the slopes on which stand a few trees, their boughs laden with snow depicted with small amounts of white pigment. -
Signatures
Bunrin's signature appears on both halves of the composition.F1978.1 "Summer Landscape" is signed "En Bunrin."F1978.1 "Summer Landscape" is signed "En Bunrin." -
Marks
A total of five different seals of the artist appear on the two screens.The three on "Summer Landscape" are: "Bunrin no in", "Shion fu", and "Ka hitsuboku naru enka"--("transform brush and ink into smoke and mist").The three on "Summer Landscape" are: "Bunrin no in", "Shion fu", and "Ka hitsuboku naru enka"--("transform brush and ink into smoke and mist"). -
Inscriptions
F1978.1 "Summer Landscape" bears the longer of the two inscriptions, providing the date and the place: "Man'en kigen koshin shujitsu saku". "Kyocho". "En Bunrin" ("Done on an autumn day in the first year of the Man'en era [i.e. 1860] at the capital [Kyoto], En Bunrin.") -
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. -
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection -
Exhibition History
Japanese Screens (March 2007 to January 3, 2016)Japanese Screens (August 13, 1997 to May 4, 1998)A Decade of Discovery: Selected Acquisitions 1970-1980 (November 9, 1979 to May 22, 1980) -
Origin
Japan -
Credit Line
Purchase — funds provided by the bequest of Edith Ehrman -
Type
Painting -
Restrictions and Rights
Usage Conditions Apply
There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
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