Untitled
Kano Chōkichi
16th century · Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink and color on paper · Asian Art
Inspired by Chinese landscape scrolls in which the mind travels through time and space along rivers and mountain paths, this monumental landscape transforms an interior into a vast space for imaginary wandering. The quintessential Chinese theme of the scholar-recluse attuned to the natural world and enjoying its unsullied beauty reflected Confucian values and the contemplative bent of Japan’s ruling military class. A timeless quality is achieved here by a seasonal progression from spring and summer at right to autumn and winter at left. The elevated tone, strong delineation of forms, and rhythmically patterned brushwork corroborate the work’s attribution to the Kano painter Chōkichi, who is traditionally believed to have studied with Motonobu (1476–1559).
- Artist
- Kano Chōkichi
- Date
- 16th century
- Medium
- Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink and color on paper
- Culture
- Japan
- Department
- Asian Art
- Credit line
- The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
