Skeleton Father and Son Doing the Bon Dance, second half 19th century
Doi Gōgaexpand_more
Ink on paperexpand_more
Gift of the Clark Center for Japanese Art & Cultureexpand_more 2013.29.858
On View in Gallery 237expand_more
Paintings by the Confucian scholar Doi Gōga can be mistaken for the work of no other artist, yet he is little known today. As well as calligraphy and paintings of bamboo, his oeuvre included ghosts, skeletons, and other figures of the imagination and folklore. These were painted in an idiosyncratic style that was perhaps inspired by the simplicity of Zen painting and sometimes inscribed with biting Confucian admonishments.
Characteristic of Gōga’s works are blunt, velvety black brushstrokes that bleed into the surrounding paper; exaggerated incidences of “flying white” (smudgy lines that reveal white streaks); paler strokes conveying depth; and, perhaps most unusually, the incorporation of his seals into the pictorial space.
Details
- Title
- Skeleton Father and Son Doing the Bon Dance
- Artist Life
- 1817 - 1881
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2013.29.858
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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