Images(3)

Bamboo s

Artist Yoshida Zōtaku Japanese, 1722 - 1802

Place of OriginJapan

Date1798

PeriodEdo period (1615-1868)

CultureJapanese

MaterialsInk on paper

Dimensions(.a): H. 53 3/4 in x W. 20 1/8 in, H. 136.5 cm x W. 51.1 cm (image); H. 81 1/8 in x W. 26 1/8 in, H. 206.1 cm x W. 66.4 cm (overall); (.b): H. 53 5/8 in x W. 20 3/8 in, H. 136.2 cm x W. 51.8 cm (image); H. 80 7/8 in x W. 26 1/4 in, H. 205.4 cm x W 66.7 cm (overall)

Credit LineGift from The Collection of George Gund III

Object number2016.239.1-.2

DepartmentJapanese Art

ClassificationsPainting

On View

Not on view

SignedSigned: "Nanajūroko ō" (at the age of seventy-six) "Zōtaku ga" (left) Each sealed: "Kaku", two seals unread

Text Entries

Object Label

Yoshida Zotaku was an accomplished bamboo painter born to the samurai military class. He trained as a Kano school painter and then gradually developed a distinct personal style of bamboo painting. Expressive, large brush strokes fill the field of his paintings. Each painting captures only a passing glimpse of the bamboo rising from an unseen ground and presumably towering far above our heads. His images appear as glimpses into the heart of a bamboo forest, emphasizing the strength and vitality of the individual trees.

Text Entries

Provenance Statement

Leighton R. Longhi, New York NY, until 1997; sold to George Gund III, May 27, 1997; donated to AAM by Estate of George Gund III in 2016.