Who painted Untitled?

Untitled was painted by Kano Shōun in 17th century.

Where can I see Untitled?

Untitled is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Untitled?

Untitled is associated with Baroque.

Artwork

Untitled

Kano Shōun , 1649

Untitled is an ink painting by the Baroque artist Kano Shōun. It dates from 1649 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The work is classified as a portrait and depicts a man identified as a poet, a subject that aligns with the genre's emphasis on literary figures.

The work is classified as a portrait and depicts a man identified as a poet, a subject that aligns with the genre's emphasis on literary figures. The composition presents the sitter in a contemplative stance, reflecting the cultural regard for poetic achievement in mid-17th-century Japan. As part of the Kanō school's output, the painting integrates visual representation with the celebrated status of poets, underscoring their role as cultural exemplars during the Edo period.

Technique & Style

Kano Shōun created Untitled as an unmounted shikishi leaf painted with ink and polychrome pigments on silk. The work belongs to the portrait genre and depicts a solitary poet, rendered through fine brush lines and subtle color washes that define the figure's contemplative stance. The silk support lends a smooth, flexible surface, while the composition balances the sitter against expansive negative space, producing a quiet, lyrical atmosphere characteristic of the Kanō school's portrait tradition.

History & Provenance

Untitled is a 1649 painting by Kano Shōun, executed in ink and color on silk as an unmounted shikishi leaf and portraying a poet. Created in Japan, it is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it bears the accession number 14.140.22. The provided sources do not list any exhibition history for the work.

Overview

This untitled painting by Kano Shōun, created in 1649, presents a portrait rendered with ink and color on a shikishi leaf of silk. The artwork depicts a poet seated on the ground, engaged in a contemplative moment. His gaze is directed upwards towards a pine tree, while he holds a scroll, suggesting a connection between nature, literature, and introspection.