Hoshun Yamaguchi - After the Snow (雪後)

In 'Setsugo' (After the Snow), Hoshun Yamaguchi distills the centuries-old kacho-ga (bird-and-flower) tradition into a study in restraint and modernist composition. Snow-laden bamboo arches across the upper register, its weight described in passages of white gofun pigment held by the lightest of ink contours; below, a solitary bullfinch (uso) cuts diagonally across the muted silver-grey ground, its rust-orange breast the painting's single warm note. The dialogue between the arc of the snow-bound branch and the line of the bird's flight reveals Hoshun's lifelong engagement with French modernism, the spatial logic of Braque and the simplified line of Matisse, absorbed into the disciplined vocabulary of Nihonga. Hoshun, a recipient of the Order of Culture in 1965, was among the most influential figures in postwar Japanese painting; his former studio in Hayama is preserved today as the Hoshun Yamaguchi Memorial Museum.

Artist: Hoshun Yamaguchi (Japan, 1893-1971)

Year: 1893-1971

Medium: Painting

Materials: Mineral pigments and ink on paper, hanging scroll (kakejiku) mounting

Classification: Unique

Size: (H)147.3cm, (W)40.7cm.

Signature: Signed 'Hoshun hitsu' with red seal at lower right of painting. Tomobako lid and inner lid bear artist's inscription with seals.