Mountain View and Blue Water
1804
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
1804
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Mountain View and Blue Water is a 1804 unspecified by Tanomura Chikuden, a Nihonga work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see soft blue mountains fading into mist, a quiet river, and a few bare trees on a scroll. The artist painted this in the early 1800s, copying a style from 600-year-old Chinese scrolls. The custom wooden box it came in tells us it was shown at a memorial for his adopted son—proof that even small works were treasured. To see how Japanese artists borrowed from China, look up *japan, edo period (1615–1868)*.
Tanomura Chikuden was an eminent painter whose adopted son, Tanomura Chokunyū (1814–1907), was Seifū Yohei III’s painting teacher. This work was displayed at a gathering commemorating the 10th anniversary of Chokunyū’s death, something we know only because its custom-made box and archival documents have been carefully kept together. The box inscription also confirms that Chikuden was emulating the style of the Mi family of painters, active during China’s Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279). The painting’s Chinese-style silk wrapper is inscribed and sealed on its interior by members of…
The mountain shapes are built up with multiple small wet strokes.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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