Artwork
People Fleeing from a Fire
People Fleeing from a Fire is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1741 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The canvas depicts a tumultuous evacuation, with figures scrambling away from a blaze that engulfs a structure amid a wooded setting.
About this work
History & Provenance
People Fleeing from a Fire is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under the accession number 1916.
Created in 1741 in Japan, this painting is attributed to an unknown artist. The work entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is cataloged under the accession number 1916.999. While the specific circumstances of its commission and the details of its ownership prior to 1916 are not recorded in the available documentation, its acquisition by the Cleveland institution marks the beginning of its documented modern provenance.
People Fleeing from a Fire is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under the accession number 1916.999. The work entered the museum's holdings through acquisition, establishing its current location and institutional custody.
Context
The work is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art collection and was created in Japan in 1741. It is attributed to an unknown artist and classified as a painting. The work's provenance and location remain anchored to the Cleveland Museum of Art, with no documented critical reception or scholarly analysis cited in the provided sources.
The attribution to an unknown artist and its classification as a painting situate the work within the broader context of 18th-century Japanese art, though its specific place in art history cannot be established without further scholarly engagement. The lack of documented reception history or comparative analysis in the sources precludes definitive claims about its influence or standing within artistic movements.
Overview
The canvas depicts a tumultuous evacuation, with figures scrambling away from a blaze that engulfs a structure amid a wooded setting. The composition captures the frantic motion of individuals in various poses, emphasizing the urgency of their departure as flames lick the surrounding architecture.
Subject & Meaning
The work portrays a moment of crisis, focusing on human reaction to disaster. By foregrounding panic and movement, it reflects themes of vulnerability, collective fear, and the instinctual drive for survival when confronted with sudden danger.
Technique & Style
Executed with vigorous, expressive brushwork, the painting employs a restrained palette of muted tones that heighten the somber mood. The bold strokes convey motion and tension, while the limited color range underscores the gravity of the scene without resorting to vivid dramatization.
Artist & collection
百人一首 うはかゑとき 菅家|Poem by Kanke (Sugawara Michizane), from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki)
源氏物語図屏風「御幸」・「浮船」・「関谷」|“An Imperial Excursion” (Miyuki), “A Boat Cast Adrift” (Ukifune), and “The Barrier Gate” (Sekiya)
Untitled
Untitled
Daimyo Procession from Yūshō-in
Li Wenzhong Clears the North
「高陽院駒競行幸絵巻」『栄花物語』 断簡|"Imperial Visit to the Great Horse Race at the Kaya-no-in Mansion" from the Tale of Flowering Fortunes
秋夜長物語|A Long Tale for an Autumn Night (Aki no yo nagamonogatari)
Horse Racing at Kamo Shrine
不二詣諸品下山之図|View of the Descent from a Mountain by Many from Pilgrimage to Mt. Fuji (Fuji mōde shoshina gesan no zu)
二代目市川八百藏・二代目中島三甫右衛門・三代目市川海老藏・九代目市村羽左衛門|Kabuki Actors Ichikawa Yaozō II, Nakajima Mihoemon II, Ichikawa Ebizō III, and Ichimura Uzaemon IX in the Play Sugawara’s Secrets of Calligraphy (Sugawara denju tenarai kagami)- People Fleeing from a Fire