The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

West Lake

mid-1700s

Ike Taiga

(Japanese, 1723–1776)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Hanging scroll; ink and light color on paper
Painting: 58 x 133 cm (22 13/16 x 52 3/8 in.); Mounted: 170.5 x 140.3 cm (67 1/8 x 55 1/4 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1970.69
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Among Taiga's sources for his paintings were images he studied in Chinese wood-block–printed books.

Description

West Lake near Hangzhou, China, has been home to revered poets who immortalized it in their poetry. Tang dynasty poet Bai Juyi (772–846) lived in its vicinity, and Song dynasty poet Lin Bu (967–1028) led a reclusive life on Solitary Hill near the lake. Landscape paintings of West Lake gained in popularity in Japan as early as the 1400s. The distinctive, arched bridges connecting small islands in the lake identify the subject. Ike Taiga was among the first generation of Japanese artists to emulate Chinese scholars who painted as amateurs and gifted their work to friends and colleagues.
  • ?–1970
    (Yanagi Fine Art Shop, Kyoto, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1970–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1970.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 58, no. 2 (1971): 22–71. Mentioned: no. 120, p. 60; Reproduced: no. 120, p. 69 www.jstor.org
    Sŏn, Sŭng-hye. The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2011. Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 43–44, cat. no. 21
    "Memorable Works from Yanagi Takashi." Yanagi: A Family of Art Dealers in Kyoto. Impressions: the Journal of the Japanese Society of America 46 (2025): 174–185. Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 178–179, fig. E
  • To the River's South in Japanese Painting. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 15, 2023-June 2, 2024).
    The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 15-August 21, 2011).
    Asian Autumn: Splendid Variety: 18th-Century Art in Japan. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 16, 1993-March 6, 1994).
    Suibokuga: Japanese Ink Painting. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 1, 1985-February 24, 1986).
    Visions of Landscape: East and West. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 17-March 21, 1982).
    Masterworks of Wood: China and Japan. Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR (organizer) (November 4-December 5, 1976); Asia House Galleries, New York City, NY (January 13-March 27, 1977).
    Year in Review: 1970. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 10-March 7, 1971).
  • {{cite web|title=West Lake|url=false|author=Ike Taiga|year=mid-1700s|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1970.69