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.
- Secondary Keywords
- animals and creatures
- associated concepts
- birds
- descriptors
- document genres
- document genres by form
- document genres for literary works
- genres
- image-making processes and techniques
- information forms
- objects we use
- people and culture
- philosophical concepts
- processes and techniques
- processes and techniques by specific type
- writing (processes)
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- 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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Related Links
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- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1987-SL-2.45:1987_2.45.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"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.