1692
ink
paper
From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art
Untitled is a 1692 ink by Sugimura Jihei Masataka, a Baroque work, depicting Tree, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This print shows two figures in mid-action against a sky filled with wispy clouds. The top figure rides a horse, holding a spear and a bow, dressed in ornate armor with geometric patterns. Below, a smaller figure crouches near a pine tree, also armed but looking down. The background includes buildings and swirling waves. The armor and weapons suggest these are warriors, but the style feels dramatic and exaggerated. The artist used bold lines and shading to create movement and depth. Next, look up cross-hatching to see how this technique builds texture.
Sugimura Jihei spent his short life in Edo, today’s Tokyo, making bold prints of kabuki actors and courtesans.
See the richer artist page
