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Forbidden to the Vulgar

late 1800s-early 1900s

Uragami Gyokudō 浦上玉堂

(Japanese, 1745–1820)
Culture
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Medium
hanging scroll; ink on paper
Measurements
With mount: 67.2 cm (26 7/16 in.); Painting only: 134.6 x 51.1 cm (53 x 20 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1964.367
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Gyokudo painted in the Nanga style (literary men's school of painting), originally influenced by 18th-century Chinese painting. Most of his landscapes are variations on the theme of tall mountains and remote huts. Note the spontaneity of the brushstrokes and how the dry, rough ink works with the texture of the paper. Born to an ancient samurai family, Gyokudo was trained in the Chinese classics and studied painting, poetry, and the koto (kind of zither). He devoted himself to art and music, painting, drinking, and playing the koto as he wandered about the country.
A hanging scroll in black and gray ink strokes depicts a mountainous landscape. Dense clusters of dark trees surround a small pavilion in the foreground. Towering, rounded peaks with horizontal textures rise up through the center, while paler mountains recede into the background. In the upper left, a narrow cliff features black Chinese calligraphy (see "Inscriptions"). The darkest ink marks the lush foliage against the light, cream-colored paper.

Forbidden to the Vulgar

late 1800s-early 1900s

Uragami Gyokudō

(Japanese, 1745–1820)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

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