White Clouds and Crimson Trees
Tanomura Chokunyū, was the student and adopted son of Tanomura Chikuden (1777–1835), a major painter of the Nanga, or literati, school. Although less well known than his adoptive father, Chokunyū was a philanthropist as well as a painter, and is remembered for helping to establish Kyoto’s first art school, now known as the Kyoto City University of Arts (Kyoto Shiritsu Geijutsu Daigaku). He himself was a highly skilled painter in the Nanga tradition, specializing in landscapes executed in styles associated with renowned Chinese artists of the past.
Chokunyū provides access to this large landscape in the lower foreground, where a small boat is moored near a small village bustling on a bright autumn day. The composition above is devoted to impenetrable mountain peaks highlighted with ochre, malachite green, and azurite blue. They are dotted with autumnal foliage in red and pink and encircled by swirling white clouds.
The inscription above appears to be a poem by Chokunyū himself that more or less describes the scene in the painting. The author extols the beauty of autumn and the flourishing mountain village, before wondering who might be the lord of this prosperous landChokunyū hints at the answer in his signature, which immediately follows the poem and suggests that the artist prepared this work for a longtime patron.
Chokunyū provides access to this large landscape in the lower foreground, where a small boat is moored near a small village bustling on a bright autumn day. The composition above is devoted to impenetrable mountain peaks highlighted with ochre, malachite green, and azurite blue. They are dotted with autumnal foliage in red and pink and encircled by swirling white clouds.
The inscription above appears to be a poem by Chokunyū himself that more or less describes the scene in the painting. The author extols the beauty of autumn and the flourishing mountain village, before wondering who might be the lord of this prosperous landChokunyū hints at the answer in his signature, which immediately follows the poem and suggests that the artist prepared this work for a longtime patron.
Artwork Details
- 白雲紅樹 (Hakuun kōju)
- Title: White Clouds and Crimson Trees
- Artist: Tanomura Chokunyū 田能村直入 (Japanese, 1814–1907)
- Period: Meiji period (1868–1912)
- Date: 1888
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
- Dimensions: Image: 58 3/8 × 20 in. (148.3 × 50.8 cm)
Overall with mounting: 91 × 25 7/8 in. (231.1 × 65.7 cm)
Overall with knobs: 91 × 28 1/2 in. (231.1 × 72.4 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2021
- Object Number: 2021.398.23
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Tanomura Chokunyū 田能村直入
mid- to late 19th century
Chōbunsai Eishi
early 19th century
Sakai Ōho
ca. 1839
Unidentified artist
early 19th century
Utagawa Hiroshige
1857
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.