Artwork
Untitled

Untitled is an ink painting by the Impressionist artist Kawabata Gyokushō. It dates from 1890 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
A small boat drifts down a wide river at dusk, the water ink-blue and the sky pale gold. Trees lean in from the banks in quick, wet strokes. Kawabata Gyokusho painted it on silk in 1890, the boat empty, just the quiet push of the current.
Subject & Meaning
Created in 1890 by Kawabata Gyokushō, this album leaf presents a landscape scene executed in ink and color on silk.
Created in 1890 by Kawabata Gyokushō, this album leaf presents a landscape scene executed in ink and color on silk. The composition focuses on a river setting, explicitly depicting a boat navigating the waterway. As a work rooted in the landscape genre, the imagery centres on these natural and navigational elements.
The piece functions as a representation of a specific riverside moment, characteristic of Japanese painting traditions of the period, where the interplay between the vessel and the flowing river serves as the primary visual subject.
Technique & Style
Created in 1890 by Kawabata Gyokushō, this landscape painting is executed as an album leaf using ink and color applied directly onto silk. The work measures 36.8 cm in height and 27.9 cm in width. Stylistically, the piece depicts a river scene featuring a boat, rendered in a traditional Japanese format.
The support material of silk, combined with the specific application of ink and pigments, characterizes the medium's formal qualities. Held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the work represents a landscape genre piece originating from Japan.
History & Provenance
The 1890 album leaf titled Untitled by Kawabata Gyokushō is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The work depicts a boat on a river in a landscape format and is executed in ink and color on silk, measuring 36.8 by 27.9 cm. The provided records do not specify a unique accession or inventory number, nor is any exhibition history documented in the available sources.
Overview
Kawabata Gyokushō's Untitled is an album leaf painting from approximately 1890, rendered in ink and color on silk. This serene landscape portrays a solitary boat navigating a wide river at dusk. The artwork exemplifies the artist's approach to capturing natural scenes with a subtle, evocative quality, characteristic of Japanese painting traditions of the late 19th century.
Artist & collection
















