Waterfall in Calligraphic Brushstroke
Sold – no longer available
This piece was handmade by Nakajima Raiaki 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.
You might like these pieces
Details about the sold piece
- Height 196 cm
- Width 36 cm
- Item Type Kakemono
- Jikusaki Bone
- Material Honshi Paper
- Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
- Technique Hand-Painted
- Unique Work Yes
No longer available
Description
With powerful, almost calligraphic brushstrokes, this kakemono captures the dynamism of a waterfall: bands of black ink plunge down from the top of the image, while the pale paper ground suggests the spray and mist of the falling water. The reduced pictorial language recalls the tradition of suiboku painting, in which a few deliberately placed lines make an entire force of nature palpable.
The motif is executed on paper and bears the signature and seal of Nakajima Raiaki, a painter of the Shôwa period. The restrained coloring makes the composition appear like a snapshot in which movement and stillness are captured at once.
The waterfall has long been regarded in Japan as a symbol of purification and unbroken power and was a popular motif among painters influenced by Buddhism. The roller of the hanging scroll is fitted with fittings made of bone, indicating a carefully crafted, high-quality mounting. A stylish piece for lovers of reduced Japanese ink painting.
