Thatched Hut on a River, unknown maker from Japan

Archive Label 2003:
Ike Taiga’s creative energy, unconventional behavior, and prodigious productivity made him a leading figure among Nanga or literati painters of the eighteenth century. Thatched Hut on a River illustrates the artist’s admiration for the Chinese merchant and amateur painter Yi Fujiu (1698-after 1747), although Taiga’s eclectic style is bolder and more abbreviated than his model’s. One of the four seals on the painting imitates one used by Yi Fujiu and reads “Five days to paint a mountain, ten days to paint water.”

The inscription, brushed in Taiga’s signature cursive script, is probably a poem by Yi Fujiu.

Several thatched huts rest upon the clear river,
All day long, a thousand wood crickets cry.

Archive Label date unknown: Ike Taiga was a prodigious genius and leading figure among Nanga artists, proficient in seal carving, calligraphy, and literati painting. Although inspired by Chinese prototypes, Taiga developed a very individualistic painting style characterized by bold compositions and vivacious brushwork. Thatched Hut on a River illustrates Taiga's admiration for I Fu-chiu. Characteristic motifs such as the three types of trees, small mountain plateaus, and an empty hut are all evident. However, rather than carefully describing forms, Taiga emphasized bold brushstrokes, contrasting verticals with horizontals and dark ink with light shads of gray. His inscription is a poem, probably by I Fu-chiu:

Several thatched huts rest upon the clear river,
All day long, a thousand wood crickets cry.