Untitled

Tsubaki Chinzan

19th century · Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk · Asian Art

At a time when the ukiyo-e tradition was emphasizing scenes of contemporary life in the urban world, nanga or "southern pictures," inspired by Chinese painting of the Ming and Qing dynasties, offered a retreat into the unhurried world of nature and art. Tsubaki Chinzan shows us a formal yet abbreviated landscape, where just two softly rendered boughs of the myrtle tree open their delicate foliage to embrace the rising moon, partially obscured by clouds. The evening mood invites contemplation and quietude, in an intimate moment shared with a tiny bird who is nestled securely among the spring foliage.

Artist

Tsubaki Chinzan

Date

19th century

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

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