Tomita Keisen (1879–1936)
West Lake
Japan, dated 1909
Six-panel screen; ink and gold on paper
Gift of Terry Welch, 2021 (2021-03-018)
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West Lake is one of China’s most renowned scenic locations, celebrated by poets and artists for centuries. In his inscription, Keisen indicates the inspiration for his painting as lines from a poem about West Lake by Bai Juyi (772–846), who at one point in his official career served as governor of the area:
Smoky waves drift, rippling the empty blue,
Towers and halls, variegated, lean against the evening sun.
Appropriately, Keisen depicts the Bai Embankment (Baidi), which was constructed during Bai’s governorship. To the right a stone bridge surmounted by an archway leads to Solitary Hill (Gushan), a natural island in the lake. A skiff lies under trees next to the island, balanced by another on the far side. Various buildings are visible behind the trees, but Keisen also conveys a sense of rusticity through a water buffalo and oxherd. The embankment continues over the lake across the left side of the screen, punctuated by curved bridges.
Keisen visited China for six months in 1909, and from the date of the inscription we know that this screen was made shortly after his return. For centuries Japanese artists could only imagine West Lake from poetic descriptions. In contrast, Keisen depicts a recognizable scene, including not only Bai Embankment and Solitary Hill, but also Precious Stone Mountain (Baoshishan) and Precious Goodness Pagoda (Baochuta) in the background.
Further listening
West Lake is one of China’s most renowned scenic locations, celebrated by poets and artists for centuries. On the right of the six-panel screen a stone bridge surmounted by an archway leads to Solitary Hill (Gushan), a natural island in the lake. A skiff lies under trees next to the island, balanced by another boat on the far side. Keisen conveys a sense of rusticity through a water buffalo and oxherd. The embankment continues over the lake across the left side of the screen, punctuated by curved bridges.
Keisen indicates the inspiration for his painting in an inscription at the upper right of the screen, by quoting lines from a poem about West Lake by the Chinese poet-scholar and one-time governor of this region Bai Juyi (772–846):
Smoky waves drift, rippling the empty blue,
Towers and halls, variegated, lean against the evening sun.