Winter
Matsubayashi Keigetsu
Description
Gallery Rotation Fall 2013
Matsubayashi Keigetsu
Japan, 1876–1963
Winter Landscape
Showa period (1926–1989)
Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk
Gift Yoichi Nakajima, 1961/2.3
This romantic idealization of nature draws on the centuries-old tradition of literati (amateur scholar-artist) painting in both China and Japan. For scholars and other members of the intelligentsia, nature was a place of mental refuge, even if it was only encountered through art. In this striking scroll, Matsubayashi Keigetsu, a successful commercial painter in the modern metropolis of Tokyo, presents a dramatic view of a winter landscape. Its high, snow covered mountains and the tall, bare trees offer little solace to the lone traveler making his way through the forest. This painting is a companion to Summer Landscape, in which a scholar bends his ear to the sound of a rushing stream under deep blue-green foliage. When viewed together, the scrolls demonstrate the stark contrasts of the two seasons. The painting is inscribed “Autumn of 1922.”This romantic idealization of nature draws on the centuries-old tradition of literati (amateur scholar-artist) painting in both China and Japan. For scholars and other members of the intelligentsia, nature was a place of mental refuge, even if it was only encountered through art. In this striking scroll, Matsubayashi Keigetsu, a successful commercial painter in the modern metropolis of Tokyo, presents a dramatic view of a winter landscape. Its high, snow covered mountains and the tall, bare trees offer little solace to the lone traveler making his way through the forest. This painting is a companion to Summer Landscape, in which a scholar bends his ear to the sound of a rushing stream under deep blue-green foliage. When viewed together, the scrolls demonstrate the stark contrasts of the two seasons. The painting is inscribed “Autumn of 1922.”
Label from Fall Gallery Rotation, 2013
See commentary for 1961/2.2.
Subject Matter:
The painting appears to be showing a traveler's journey. The figure to the bottom left is a traveler walking into the snowy mountains. The trees are barren and the snow appears to be stuck perhaps showing a scene in the middle of winter.
Physical Description:
In conversation with 1961/2.2 (a summer version), this painting depicts a winter scene. The painting includes trees, snow, water, mountains, a small bridge, and a small individual. The individual is wearing a backpack walking on the lower left along a trail. The water is on the lower right side. Trees take up about 2/3 of the scene, appearing alongside the path as well as in the mountains. The higher up the mountains go, the more barren and snowier they get. At the top right is an inscription in black and red ink. The painting is framed with a dark green flower-patterned cloth. The top and bottom of the painting are also lined with a different lighter brown cloth.
Usage Rights:
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