Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink painting by the Baroque artist Kusumi Morikage. It dates from 1655 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a work in the landscape genre, the iconography centers on the external world rather than narrative or religious figures.
Created in 1655 by Kusumi Morikage, this hanging scroll in ink on paper presents a landscape scene. The primary subject is a natural environment featuring a boat, which serves as a focal point within the composition. As a work in the landscape genre, the iconography centers on the external world rather than narrative or religious figures.
The inclusion of the vessel suggests themes of travel, solitude, or the human relationship with nature, common motifs in Japanese ink painting of the period, and the work emphasizes the atmospheric qualities achievable through monochromatic ink technique.
Technique & Style
Created in 1655 by Kusumi Morikage, this hanging scroll is executed in ink on paper. The work is a landscape painting depicting a boat within a natural setting and measures 123.4 cm in height by 53.1 cm in width. A Japanese work of the mid-seventeenth century, it is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the ink-on-paper medium supporting the traditional rendering of the landscape and vessel.
History & Provenance
The hanging scroll Untitled by Kusumi Morikage is dated 1655 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which records a height of 123.4 cm and a width of 53.1 cm. No documented commission or early ownership chain prior to its inclusion in the museum's holdings has been published in accessible sources, and the available records do not specify an accession number or exhibition history.
Overview
Kusumi Morikage's "Untitled," an ink-on-paper hanging scroll from 1655, presents a serene landscape. The composition centers on a small boat navigating a wide, empty river beneath a pale sky. Bare trees with quickly sketched branches lean over the water, contributing to the work's quiet, contemplative atmosphere. This piece reflects the artist's distinctive approach to natural scenes.
Context
Morikage created this work in Japan during a period when many contemporary artists favored elaborate and densely populated scroll paintings. His choice to depict a sparse, uncrowded landscape, focusing on quiet solitude, set his work apart from the prevailing artistic trends of the era, showcasing a unique sensibility within the broader tradition of landscape painting.
Artist & collection
