Untitled

Okada Beisanjin

1817 · Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

By fancifully reinterpreting this Zen temple near Osaka as a Chinese retreat, Beisanjin cleverly reveals the heart and soul of the site, particularly its cultural heritage. A rice merchant in Osaka known for his love of learning, Beisanjin was an amateur painter whose quick flashes of insight were deeply admired by both his contemporaries and later literati artists. The patterned brushwork and overall energy of the painting surface reveal his study of Yuan-dynasty artists—notably Huang Gongwang (1269–1354)—and their successors.

Artist

Okada Beisanjin

Date

1817

Medium

Hanging scroll; 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