伝可翁筆 竹図|Bamboo

Kaō

ca. 16th century · Hanging scroll; ink on silk · Asian Art

In China, the association of bamboo with resilience and fortitude made it a popular painting subject among literati and Chan (Zen) monks. According to tradition, this image of mist-shrouded bamboo was created by Kaō, a fourteenth-century monk who was among the earliest Japanese practitioners of Chinese-inspired monochrome ink painting. Despite the attribution, it is likely sixteenth century in date. Graded ink tonalities and delicate rendering of joints in the stalk indicate that the artist was well-trained in Chinese methods of ink painting.

Artist

Kaō

Date

ca. 16th century

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink on silk

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936