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The Monkey Bridge

Katsushika Taito II

1834

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Romanticism Early 19th Century Landscape

Dominant colour

The Monkey Bridge is a 1834 by Katsushika Taito II, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Katsushika Taito II
When & what style?: 1834 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

The painting shows a narrow bridge with a moon underneath it. It's set in a deep gorge. The artist used this scene to emphasize the height of the gorge. The bridge is called the Monkey Bridge, located in Kai Province. This area is west of Tokyo. The artist, Taito II, was a student of Hokusai, which might have influenced his work. You can learn more about Japanese art by looking up Katsushika Taito II.

The story of this work

Overview

Taito II, who studied with Hokusai, created this image of the Monkey Bridge in Kai Province, west of Tokyo. By depicting the moon beneath the narrow bridge, he emphasized the height of the gorge. Before it was given to the museum by one of its founders, Jeptha H. Wade, this print was trimmed. Uncut versions of the same scene include a section with a poetic inscription designed to look like a rubbing from a stone stele, or commemorative marker, often erected in scenic locations. Ink was also applied differently to produce varying effects in other impressions.

Read the full account in the museum source.