雪竹図|Bamboo and Rock in Snow

Sakaki Hyakusen

spring 1750 · Hanging scroll; ink on paper · Asian Art

Bamboo, a symbol of enduring strength—able to bend in the wind without breaking and to withstand the onslaught of winter—was a favored painting theme among the literati in East Asia. Here, stems of bamboo, bowing under the weight of snow on their slender leaves, emerge from behind a mossy boulder. To represent the snow, Sakaki Hyakusen left areas of the paper unpainted, while his uneven application of gray wash evokes a dark, wintry evening. An assiduous student of the Chinese tradition through imported painting manuals, Sakaki is regarded as one of the pioneers of literati painting and an inspiration to many subsequent generations.

Artist

Sakaki Hyakusen

Date

spring 1750

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink 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