Artwork
Bamboo in Snow
Bamboo in Snow is an unspecified painting by the Rococo painting artist Kuwayama Gyokushū. It dates from 1792 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
By combining the two, the artist presents a meditation on steadfastness enduring through hardship, a meaning reinforced by the work's creation in Japan in 1783.
Bamboo in Snow by Kuwayama Gyokushū depicts bamboo (Bambusoideae) rendered against a backdrop of snow, two motifs drawn directly from the painting's subject matter. The pairing of bamboo and snow is a classical theme in East Asian art, where bamboo traditionally symbolizes resilience, integrity, and flexibility because it bends without breaking and remains evergreen, while snow evokes purity, quietude, and the austerity of winter. By combining the two, the artist presents a meditation on steadfastness enduring through hardship, a meaning reinforced by the work's creation in Japan in 1783.
The painting thus operates both as a naturalistic study of plant form in a seasonal setting and as an emblematic image conveying moral and contemplative values associated with the bamboo-and-snow motif.
Technique & Style
Bamboo in Snow is a 1783 painting by Kuwayama Gyokushū created in Japan. The work is executed in the medium of painting and is classified as such in the recorded catalogue. It portrays slender bamboo stems amid a snow‑covered landscape, a composition that emphasizes linear brushwork and negative space typical of Edo‑period literati art.
The painting is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection and was produced in that institution’s geographic focus. No specific information regarding the support material, conservation condition, or handling history is provided in the available records.
Overview
This painting, Bamboo in Snow, was created by Kuwayama Gyokushū in 1792. The work features a solitary bamboo plant set against a winter backdrop, its form rendered with a quiet intensity. It is currently part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it offers an example of late 18th-century Japanese painting.
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