landscape with some mountains at left and right and scattered buildings; waterfall in LRC; two walking figures, second panel from right, at bottom; two men in boad, LLQ; five-line inscription in black and three red seals, URC; tan paper backing

Spring Landscape [right of a pair of Spring and Autumn Landscapes], 1821

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Our journey through this imagined landscape begins in the lower right corner, where a pair of Chinese gentlemen wait to guide us along a winding mountain path. The ridge of mountains forms an arc that is mirrored in the left screen, although here our guide has changed. An old man riding a horse waits at lower left to lead us through the craggy mountains, where touches of red among the trees tell us that the season has shifted, from the peach blossoms of mid-spring to the crimson leaves of autumn.

Our respective guides are given voice in poetic inscriptions brushed by the artist himself on the upper outside corner of each screen.

Right:

New green sprouts from the leaves’ dark stems,
Apricot and peach blossoms open as mid-spring approaches.
To enjoy spring is to be in its beauty—
Halting my cane, I listen idly to the birds’ twittering voices.

Left:

A precarious bridge links cliffs extending to the jade sky.
In a frosty woods, leaves fall with a rising west wind.
A hermit whips his lame horse forward in the autumn dusk.
Across ten thousand ravines, the setting sun blazes red.

Details
Title
Spring Landscape [right of a pair of Spring and Autumn Landscapes]
Artist Life
1779 - 1846
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2015.79.142.2
Catalogue Raisonne
Murase, Art through a Lifetime, no. 350
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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landscape with some mountains at left and right and scattered buildings; waterfall in LRC; two walking figures, second panel from right, at bottom; two men in boad, LLQ; five-line inscription in black and three red seals, URC; tan paper backing