1704
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Irises is a 1704 unspecified by Watanabe Shikō, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a single iris flower, petals soft purple, stem bent over a quiet stream. This painting comes from a 1,000-year-old story about a lonely man missing his wife. The artist zoomed in on the flower, not the man, to show how small beauty can hold big feelings. The stream is barely there—just a few brushstrokes—so your eye stays on the iris. If you like this quiet style, look up *Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)*.
The subject of this painting comes from a 10th-century text. It tells of a young nobleman’s journey into the lonely countryside, far from the capital city of Heian-kyō (Kyoto). There he came upon a small stream, the banks of which were covered with blooming irises, on which the artist has chosen to focus our attention. While viewing the beautiful flowers the nobleman composed a poem: I have a beloved wife, Familiar as the skirt of a well-worn robe, And so this distant journeying Fills my heart with grief.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Watanabe Shikō or Motooki (渡辺 始興; 1683 - 5 September 1755) was a Japanese painter of the Rinpa school. Also known by his common name Kyūma, his other art names included Shōken (松軒) and Soshin (素信).
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