Artwork Page for Wild Geese

Details / Information for Wild Geese

Wild Geese

late 1500s-early 1600s

Kano Sanraku 狩野山楽

(Japanese, 1559–1635)
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Culture
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Medium
pair of six-fold screens; ink on paper
Measurements
Image: 152 x 359 cm (59 13/16 x 141 5/16 in.); Overall: 170.2 x 371.8 cm (67 x 146 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1987.9.1
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Depictions of geese usually appear as ink paintings in Japan during the 1200s. They later show up in the colorful landscapes of illustrated handscrolls. Such early ink renditions of the birds have long been associated with classical Chinese Zen painting and poetry, which was avidly admired and collected in medieval Japan. In the screens on display, the artist portrayed the waterfowl in a pastoral setting without reference to classical or religious themes. Such ordinary subjects were imbued with special meaning in 14th- and 15th-century Japan through associations with continental culture, Zen thought and poetry, and famous Chinese monk-painters whose painting techniques had become revered as visual emblems of Zen principles. The screens here reflect the continuation of that painting tradition in the late 1500s or early 1600s by the head of the most important studio in Kyoto. Sanraku also executed a number of colorful folding screen compositions, but here pays homage to the style of early Zen painting.
A horizontally oriented six-fold paper screen depicts a landscape in black ink. Reeds sprout from a bank on the left, while gnarled trees and rocks anchor the right. Six wild geese gather in the center, one with wings spread. Small birds fly through the open, tan-colored space. Varied gray brushstrokes and light washes form the scene, which is enclosed by a decorative blue fabric border with floral motifs.

Wild Geese

late 1500s-early 1600s

Kano Sanraku

(Japanese, 1559–1635)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

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