The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 17, 2025

Vertically long pair of hanging scrolls each with three vertical rows of streaking, black Chinese characters on cream paper (see "Inscriptions"). The loopy characters streak down the page, ink occasionally fading out. In the lower left corner of both scrolls is a red, square stamp composed of more characters. A light brown rim runs around each scroll, decorated with subtle swirling lines in a slightly darker brown.

Two Poems by Du Fu

1983

Aoyama Sanu

(Japanese, 1912–1993)
Japan, Shōwa period (1926–89)
Pair of hanging scrolls; ink on paper
Image: 161 x 38.5 cm (63 3/8 x 15 3/16 in.); Each mounted: 220 x 52 cm (86 5/8 x 20 1/2 in.)
Gift of Aoyama Keiji 2011.17
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Aoyama Sanu was awarded Japan's Order of Cultural Merit in 1992.

Description

Aoyama Sanu used a calligraphic form called running script to brush two compositions by Du Fu (712–770) in a mode of classical Chinese poetry that features eight lines of five-character regulated verse. The poem on the right describes the immersive sensation of viewing a vivid mural of the legendary Isle of the Immortals on the wall of a monk’s residence; the one on the left concerns the complex mood brought on by spending a rainy night on a boat set for departure, unable to go ashore to say farewell to a friend who has made the journey possible. Du Fu counts among the most well-known Chinese poets.
  • 1983–2011
    Aoyama family collection, Tokyo, Japan, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2011–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Sŏn, Sŭng-hye. The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2011. Mentioned: p. 97; Reproduced: p. 94, no. 95
  • Contemporary Calligraphy and Clay. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7, 2024-June 15, 2025).
    The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 15-August 21, 2011).
  • {{cite web|title=Two Poems by Du Fu|url=false|author=Aoyama Sanu|year=1983|access-date=17 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2011.17