Calligraphy: Watching Ducks on a Spring Morning / Nukina Kaioku

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About this Item

Record Details

Accession Number
1987/2.45
Title
Calligraphy: Watching Ducks on a Spring Morning
Artist
Nukina Kaioku
Artist Nationality
Japanese
Artist Life Dates
(Tokushima, Shikoku, 1778 - 1863, Kyoto)
Medium and Support
hanging scroll, ink on paper
Object Creation Date
1840s - 1863
Object Creation Place
Asia (continent)
Japan (nation)
Shikoku-chiho (region)
Tokushima (prefecture)
Creation Place 1
Asia (continent)
Creation Place 2
Japan (nation)
Creation Place 3
Shikoku-chiho (region)
Creation Place 4
Tokushima (prefecture)
Style/Group/Movement
literati
Inscription
Artist's signature:
San'i Kaioku sei (Mountain-dwelling Kaioku)
Two seals of the artist, following the signature; collector’s seal (?), upper right:
1) Nukina Shigeru in
2) Kunmo
Dimensions
171.6 cm x 97 cm (67 9/16 in. x 38 3/16 in.)
Century
19th century
Primary Object Classification
Painting
Primary Object Type
calligraphy
Secondary Object Classification
Painting
Secondary Object Type
hanging scroll
Physical Description
In this monumental scroll, Nukina Kaioku has brushed a Chinese poem of his own composition, on the enduring theme of nature as refreshment for the spirit. Note his masterful variation of thick and thin strokes, wet and dry ink, stately and rapid movement.
The verses may be tentatively rendered into English as follows:
Mandarin ducks enjoy the fresh water; their graceful forms glow as they pass through channels in the reeds.
Pushing beyond the thickets [to the open pond], they call to one another again and again in the dawn.
A crimson mist breaks through gaps in the glade, its glow warming hidden nests.
Waking up with nothing to do, [I came here] to playfully row among the spring waves.
Subject Matter
Calligraphy was considered the quintessential art of the East Asian scholar, as it reveals both the writer’s knowledge of tradition and his own persona. By following each line of text, we can visually and even kinesthetically experience the gestures of the artist’s brush, arm, and whole body. Because nothing is hidden or re-worked, the creative process seems to replay itself before our eyes in real time, with searing honesty. it is a supremely confident work, probably from the last two decades of his life.
Primary Keywords
calligraphy
ducks
nature
poem
poetry
Rights
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Technical Details

Image Size
870 x 1509
File Size
163 KB
Record
1987/2.45
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1987-sl-2.45/1987_2.45.jpg

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https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1987-SL-2.45:1987_2.45.JPG

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"Calligraphy: Watching Ducks on a Spring Morning; Nukina Kaioku." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1987-sl-2.45/1987_2.45.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 29, 2024.
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