towering plateau dominates the landscape to the left; winding river flows around a small peninsula at LRC; a man in a boat sits to the left of the peninsula along the shoreline

Drifting in a Small Boat, 18th century

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Ink on paperexpand_more

Gift of Ruth and Bruce Daytonexpand_more  98.18.3

Not on Viewexpand_more

Inoue Kinga made his living as a Confucian teacher at a private academy in Edo (Tokyo). As such, he was able to lead the ideal life of a literati artist--painting for pure self-expression rather than for profit. His paintings, accordingly, lack the polish of professional painter's, but have a purity and simplicity that more directly reflects his personality and poetic interests. Kinga painted this minimal landscape for his friend, Sanshi, to whom he refers in the poem:

Drifting in a little boat with someone familiar
The waters of the lake have rippled for twenty years--
I also enjoy the smoky haze from a rocky waterfall;
Sand bars to the north and south form a road to meet my friend.

Details
Title
Drifting in a Small Boat
Artist Life
1732 - 1784
Role
Artist
Accession Number
98.18.3
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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towering plateau dominates the landscape to the left; winding river flows around a small peninsula at LRC; a man in a boat sits to the left of the peninsula along the shoreline