New Year's Sun and Old Pine Tree 1800

Editor: This is Ito Jakuchu's "New Year's Sun and Old Pine Tree" from 1800, crafted with tempera and ink on silk. The way the sun looms so large above the pine reminds me of a symbolist landscape. How would you interpret it? Curator: Intriguing observation. Disregarding its symbolic content, observe the composition. Note how the artist masterfully utilizes the contrast between the solid circular form of the sun and the jagged, almost chaotic lines of the pine branches. What effect does this juxtaposition create for you? Editor: I think it creates a sense of tension. The solid form seems calm, while the chaotic lines of the pine needles are unsettling. Does that tension suggest a deeper meaning? Curator: Not necessarily. Meaning resides within structure, composition, and application of the materiality. Meaning derives from how the negative space defines form. How would you say the relationship between foreground and background works in this image? Editor: The branches in the foreground are very prominent. They almost feel like they’re reaching out, and the sun in the background is much flatter and seems distant. Curator: Precisely. Jakuchu here directs our gaze by employing depth of field via color, scale, and, moreover, perspectival composition. Do you feel this arrangement offers commentary on foreground-background relationships? Editor: I'm starting to see what you mean by looking beyond symbolic readings. It is about form, lines, and the relationship between the objects presented. Thanks for opening my eyes! Curator: The pleasure is mine. Remember, the canvas itself presents an argument through arrangement. Dismiss what you think you know about 'pine trees and sun' and interrogate, instead, *how* they are presented.