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Aquarium (Gyosō)

1939
Not on view
Enomoto Chikatoshi established himself as one of the great twentieth-century advocates of Nihonga, a school that uses traditional media to portray startling images of modern life as well as historical figures. His paintings of “modern girls” (moga), like this example, show young women dressed in the latest Western-inspired fashions of the day or wearing stylish accessories. Created when Japan was expanding its empire overseas and on the eve of the outbreak of World War II in Europe, the painting attracted attention when it was featured in the prestigious Shin-Bunten (Ministry of Education) national exhibition in 1939. The artist effected a complex interplay of framing and directed gazing; we observe the subject of the painting as she observes the fish, which we may imagine are eyeing her.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Aquarium (Gyosō)
  • Artist: Enomoto Chikatoshi 榎本千花俊 (Japanese, 1898–1973)
  • Period: Shōwa period (1926–89)
  • Date: 1939
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Framed panel; ink and color on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 77 × 58 in. (195.6 × 147.3 cm)
    Frame: 89 1/2 × 70 in., 120 lb. (227.3 × 177.8 cm, 54.4 kg)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Sachiko and Lawrence Goodman Gift, 2019
  • Object Number: 2019.327
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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