Sound of Cold Air, 18th century
Yosa Busonexpand_more
Ink on paperexpand_more
Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundationexpand_more 2015.79.247
On View in Gallery APSexpand_more
Two characters, one for “cold” and another for “sound,” appear to fuse into one in this work. The word kangoe refers to the sound of singers and monks practicing vocal exercises during cold mornings and nights to strengthen their vocal cords. The elongated form of the writing evokes the long breaths expelled from mouths, visible in cold weather. Kangoe also functions as a seasonal word in the poem and signifies late winter.
Buson was a Japanese poet and Chinese-style painter, and often accompanied his paintings with poems he wrote himself.
寒聲
Sound of cold air
From the poem:
寒声や古うた諷ふ誰が子ぞ
Oh, sound of cold air
whose child could it be
who recites old songs
Details
- Title
- Sound of Cold Air
- Artist Life
- 1716 - 1783
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2015.79.247
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Murase, Art through a Lifetime, no. 531
- 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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