Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an unspecified painting by the Impressionist artist Seki Shūkō. It dates from 1891 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Seki Shūkō's 1891 album leaf, titled Untitled, is a still-life work that depicts fish.
Seki Shūkō's 1891 album leaf, titled Untitled, is a still-life work that depicts fish. Executed on silk, the painting focuses on the representation of these aquatic subjects without additional narrative context or complex iconography described in the available records. As a work of Japanese art from the late 19th century, the piece presents the fish as the primary visual element, adhering to the conventions of the still-life genre within the artist's oeuvre.
Technique & Style
The work is an album leaf painted on silk, a format and support characteristic of Japanese album-style compositions of the late nineteenth century. Its subject is a still life of fish, rendered within a modest format measuring 34.3 cm in height by 27.6 cm in width. The painting is classified as a painting and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
No additional information regarding specific pigments, brushwork, handling, present condition, or stylistic affiliation is documented in the available sources.
History & Provenance
Untitled is an 1891 album leaf painted in silk by Japanese artist Seki Shūkō, depicting a fish. The work measures 34.3 cm by 27.6 cm and was produced in Japan. It entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on display.
No documentation indicates a specific commission or patron for the piece; its creation is recorded only through the artist’s dated output and the museum’s acquisition records. The dating of 1891 is corroborated by both the internal catalogue entry and the Wikidata inception field.
The work is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it is inventoried as 1990.279. Its dimensions are 34.3 cm × 27.6 cm and it was painted in Japan in 1891.
It has been exhibited by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the exhibition “Season’s Greetings: Japanese New Year Prints” (December 11, 2019–February 23, 2020).
Overview
Created around 1891, this untitled work by Seki Shūkō is a small-scale painting executed on a silk album leaf. The composition is minimal, presenting a single carp rendered in muted silver and pink tones against an unadorned background.
Artist & collection
