Bamboo Between Rocks in Ink
Sold – no longer available
This piece was handmade by Chikusen and was a one-of-a-kind work. It cannot be reordered and will never exist in this form again. The page stays online as part of our archive.
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Details about the sold piece
- Height 177 cm
- Width 50 cm
- Item Type Kakemono
- Jikusaki Wood
- Material Honshi Paper
- Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
- Technique Hand-Painted
- Unique Work Yes
No longer available
Description
In muted, nuanced shades of gray, bamboo grows here between towering rock formations, the leaves distributed across the pictorial space in sweeping, tapering brushstrokes. The characteristic, slightly knotted stalks are indicated with a dry brush, creating a pleasantly airy, almost sketch-like lightness that lends the motif a great deal of natural movement.
At the upper edge of the image, a multi-line inscription in fine calligraphy has been added, accompanied by a small red seal – an indication that this painting was once understood as a joint literary and artistic work. In East Asian pictorial language, bamboo has always been regarded as a symbol of constancy and inner strength, as it bends in the storm without breaking.
The ink painting on paper is set within a warm, brownish-golden silk border and dates from the Shôwa period. Together with the rocky formations from which the plant grows, it forms a quiet, contemplative landscape image that particularly showcases the reduced elegance of classical ink painting.