White Herons

1769
Not on view
Blank paper is left in reserve for the bodies of the herons, silhouetted by soft, misty wash rather than ink outline. Instead of depending on images from copybooks for inspiration, Maruyama Ōkyo, founder of the Maruyama-Shijo school and proponent of naturalism in painting, practiced sketching from life. He created images of birds, animals, and fish drawn from every angle, and captured the atmospheric effects of rain, mist, and snow.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 円山応挙筆 白鷺図
  • Title: White Herons
  • Artist: Maruyama Ōkyo 円山応挙 (Japanese, 1733–1795)
  • Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
  • Date: 1769
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Hanging scroll; ink on paper
  • Dimensions: 14 x 22 5/16 in. (35.5 x 56.6 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.268.71
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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