Tanomura Chokunyū (1814–1907)
Ink Landscape
Japan, dated 1880
Hanging scroll; ink on silk
Gift of Terry Welch, 2021 (2021-03-096)
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A path leads from the lower left to a pavilion under winter trees, surrounded by sparse bamboo. The path is balanced by a gurgling stream that flows past the pavilion in the lower right. The pavilion is situated to view a waterfall nestled in a dark valley in the midground. The viewer’s gaze is led to a hill to the left of the waterfall, surmounted by a tall pine. From there, a view of the summit opens, with more peaks in the distance. In the poem that completes the composition, Chokunyū playfully asks the pavilion which season has the best scenery, but the pavilion does not reply. The poetic device of a monologue with the inanimate pavilion emphasizes the loneliness of the winter scene, visually conveyed by the absence of human figures in the painting.
In 1880 when Chokunyū made this painting, his primary focus was on the Kyoto Prefecture Painting School, which he had petitioned the municipal government to establish in 1878. Chokunyū pledged the profits from his artistic activity to support the school, and it is possible this painting might have been part of his effort to raise funds.
Further listening
A path leads from the lower left corner of the landscape to a pavilion under winter trees, surrounded by sparse bamboo. The path is balanced by a gurgling stream that flows past the pavilion in the lower right. The pavilion is situated to view a waterfall nestled in a dark valley in the midground. The viewer’s gaze is led to a hill to the left of the waterfall, surmounted by a tall pine. From there, a view of the summit opens, with more peaks in the distance. In the poem accompanying the painting, Chokunyū playfully asks the pavilion which season has the best scenery, but the pavilion does not reply. The poetic device of a monologue with the inanimate pavilion emphasizes the loneliness of the winter scene, visually conveyed by the absence of human figures.