Bamboo, Tani Bunchō; Su Shi

Artwork Overview

Tani Bunchō; Su Shi, Bamboo
Tani Bunchō; Su Shi, Bamboo
Tani Bunchō ,
Bamboo
1810, Edo period (1600–1868)
Tani Bunchō
1763–1840
1037–1101
Bamboo, 1810, Edo period (1600–1868)
Where object was made: Japan
Material/technique: ink; paper
Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 31.6 x 700 cm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 12 7/16 x 275 9/16 in
Credit line: Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George Colom
Accession number: 1981.0210
Not on display
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Exhibition Label: "Nature/Natural," Jul-2014, Kris Ercum Tani Bunchō was a major figure of the Edo (present-day Tokyo) art world, and was renowned for his work in nanga. In this hand scroll (over 22 feet long), Bunchō represents bamboo in a variety of dynamic perspectives. Bamboo was a time-honored literati subject, because of its combined virtue of strength and flexibility—bending but not breaking. In the inscription at the end of the scroll, Bunchō reveals his inspiration for this work: the art of 11th-century Chinese poet-painter Su Shi 蘇軾 (also called Su Dongpo, 1037¬–1101). Archive Label 2003 (version 1): Tani Bunchō, the son of a samurai and well-known poet, was a major figure in the art world in Edo (Tokyo). He was a versatile and prolific painter whose studio was once described as so busy that gilded screens and prepared silks were piled “mountain-high” waiting for his hand. Bunchō is best known for his work in the nanga (“Southern painting”) or bunjinga (“literati painting”) tradition, a style of expressive ink monochrome painting associated with Chinese scholars. In this handscroll, the artist presents the viewer with a fresh and dynamic rendition of a time-honored literati subject: bamboo. In the inscription at the end of the scroll, he traces his inspiration to a painting by the eleventh-century Chinese poet-painter Su Shih. Archive Label 2003 (version 2): Tani Bunchō, the son of a samurai and well-known poet, was a major figure in the art world in Edo (Tokyo). He is best known for his work in the nanga (“Southern painting”) or bunjinga (“literati painting”) tradition, a style of expressive ink monochrome painting associated with Chinese scholars. This handscroll (over 22 feet long) is a beautiful study of bamboo from many perspectives. Bamboo was a time-honored literati subject, in part because it represented the virtues of strength and flexibility. In the inscription at the end of the scroll, Buncho places the inspiration for this work in a painting by 11th-century Chinese poet-painter Su Shih. Archive Label date unknown: Tani Bunchō achieved great success as an artist in Edo (present-day Tokyo). Although his output was extremely eclectic, he is counted among the masters of the Nanga tradition. At the end of this scroll, Bunchō wrote that he was following a painting by the eleventh-century Chinese poet-painter Su Shih. Executed in a burst of inspiration, Bunchō's brushwork is bold and vigorous, with each stroke distincly visible.