Goose and Reeds; Willows in the Moonlight
Maruyama Ōkyo 円山応挙 Japanese
Not on view
A goose, wings half spread, swoops toward the surface of the water in the right-hand screen. The only indications of a shore are tops of spindly reeds bending beneath the wind in the lower right corner and waves cresting close by. On the left screen, willow trees by a river and the moon’s reflection on the surface of the water offer a more quietly lyrical view. In both, the viewpoint is low and pictorial elements are close to the viewer, giving the background space a feeling of great depth. Although they have been handed down as a pair, dates inscribed by Maruyama Ōkyo on each screen are some two decades apart. Ōkyo, founder of the Maruyama-Shijō school, blended Western-style realism with elements from Japanese and Chinese traditions of painting in a manner that made him one of the most popular artists of his day.
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