Monkeys by a Stream

水辺に猿図

c. 1796

Nagasawa Rosetsu 長澤蘆雪

(Japanese, 1754–1799)

Culture

Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

Medium

hanging scroll; ink and color on paper

Measurements

Overall: 164.4 x 95.4 cm (64 3/4 x 37 9/16 in.)

Credit Line

Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1985.192

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

Monkeys, which are found throughout the mountainous and wooded areas of Japan, became a favorite subject of many later Japanese artists.

Description

The two monkeys in this painting are Japanese macaques. The one in front dangles its left leg over a sharply angled rock, surveying the land beyond a fast-moving mountain stream. A smaller monkey sits behind it, looking directly ahead as if it realizes it is being watched. The artist used just a few highly contrasting warm and cool colors, sweeping brushstrokes over ink washes, and loose lines to create a scene that powerfully evokes the mentally engaged state of the two animals.