Orchids and Bamboo [right of a pair] by Tsubaki Chinzan 椿椿山

Orchids and Bamboo [right of a pair] 1852

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ink

water colours

ink painting

asian-art

landscape

japan

ink

orientalism

line

Dimensions: 41 3/8 x 103 1/2 x 5/8 in. (105.09 x 262.89 x 1.59 cm) (panel)

This panel of “Orchids and Bamboo” was painted by Tsubaki Chinzan in 19th-century Japan, using ink on paper. The very concept of ink painting directs our attention to the material at hand: carbon, processed to a fine pigment and then applied in gradations of tone. The work's visual effect hinges on the artist’s control of this medium, varying from the lightest wash to dense, saturated blacks. Notice how the texture of the paper absorbs and diffuses the ink, creating a soft, atmospheric quality. The artist has expertly used a brush, likely crafted from animal hair, to capture the delicate forms of the orchids and the resilient strength of the bamboo. This interplay of materials and making is critical to understanding the deeper cultural significance of the work. Ink painting was traditionally a practice that demanded both technical skill and deep reflection, uniting the hand, eye, and mind. Ultimately, by foregrounding the agency of materials and the skill involved in manipulating them, the painting transcends mere representation.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart over 1 year ago

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These screens use richly symbolic natural motifs—orchid and bamboo—to praise the character of scholar-officials like the artist Tsubaki Chinzan himself. The right screen illustrates a grotto of wild epidendrum orchids—small, unassuming plants that grow even in harsh conditions and send forth a marvelous fragrance, just as studious scholars succeed no matter the condition in which they might find themselves. The left screen pictures a grove of bamboo, admired for its strength in strong winds, just as a scholar is resolute in the face of ignorance. Chinzan was a government official who became enamored with the painting modes of Chinese scholar-artists. He specialized in images of birds and flowers and produced many delicately colored works in the “boneless” style, whereby forms are rendered with varying tones of ink wash and with no outlines. As exemplified by this pair of screens, however, some of Chinzan’s most elegant and evocative work in the “boneless” style was executed only in black ink.