Artwork
Ghost and Oil Lamp
Ghost and Oil Lamp is an unspecified painting by the Joseon dynasty painting artist Tani Bun'ichi. It dates from 1810 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Ghost and Oil Lamp, painted by Tani Bun’ichi in 1810, is part of the collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work presents a solitary, spectral figure illuminated by a single oil lamp, set against an indistinct backdrop that isolates the subject. The composition is restrained, allowing the interplay of light and darkness to dominate the visual experience.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure appears as a pale‑faced apparition with long, dark hair, clutching a tall black lamp whose modest flame provides the only source of illumination. The lamp’s handle bears faint script, suggesting a possible narrative or symbolic inscription. The ghost’s solemn posture and the subdued lighting evoke themes of transience, the unseen, and the fleeting nature of illumination.
Technique & Style
Tani employs a stark chiaroscuro, contrasting the luminous flame with the surrounding gloom to heighten the scene’s dramatic tension.
Tani employs a stark chiaroscuro, contrasting the luminous flame with the surrounding gloom to heighten the scene’s dramatic tension. Brushwork is smooth and controlled, rendering the figure’s features with delicate gradations while the background remains loosely rendered, reinforcing the focus on the illuminated subject. The limited palette of muted tones underscores the work’s contemplative mood.
History & Provenance
Created in the early nineteenth century, the painting entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s holdings through acquisition (specific details of the purchase are not recorded in the provided data). Since its arrival, it has been displayed as an example of Japanese genre painting that engages Western chiaroscuro techniques, reflecting cross‑cultural artistic exchanges of the period.
Artist & collection
Ghost and Oil Lamp
A Courtesan Reading a Letter
Portrait of a Courtesan Holding a Pipe (from the series The Six Immortal Poets in Modern Dress)
Kiku Jidō (Chrysanthemum Boy)
Untitled
丹生明神像|Niu Myōjin
Fish Basket Kannon (Gyoran Kannon)
The Courtesan Takigawa of Ogiya (from the series Seven Aspects of Komachi in the Green Houses)
Monju on a Lion
Untitled
Untitled- Ghost