Orchid Pavilion Gathering
Ike no Taiga Japanese
This painting of the fourth-century Orchid Pavilion Gathering by Ike no Taiga, one of the foremost literati painters, depicts scholars engaging in poetic composition beside a meandering stream. Taiga expanded on the traditional scene of drinking while drafting poetry by incorporating activities associated with the early eleventh-century West Garden Gathering: the scholars write on the surface of a cliff and practice the sangen, a three-stringed lute Taiga himself was known to play. His detailed portrayal draws viewers into the joy and tranquility of the event.
Above the landscape, Taiga inscribed Wang Xizhi’s famous preface to the poems that were composed at the gathering. However, instead of mimicking Wang’s style, Taiga executed the text in his own individualized manner.
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