Fisherman under willow tree

A child prodigy, Ike Taiga became famous in his own time as one of the great masters of the literati movement in Japan. Throughout his career, he brought fresh,personal interpretations to the calligraphy and ink landscape styles of the Chinese scholar-artists he admired.

Here a bare-branched tree arcs above a fisherman; his body, the tree, and fishing pole are defined with a few deft strokes of the brush. This balanced yet spare composition recalls a style associated with Zen Buddhist ink paintings. Above the tree Taiga inscribed a poem composed by Chinese poet­ official Su Shi (1037-1101):

The river country, rich and vast,
Clouds and water, full of beauty.
Against the bank, ladles dip:
Rippling the pond, a wheel turns.
The gentleman just loves this spot:
On mat of cotton he relaxes.
The early sun is beaming down;
Subaqueous scales appear below.
Mind on fishing, not on fish,
Just enjoying the rod and line.
Happy, yes! And so serene,
Enjoying the transformation of things.
     (Trans. by Jonathan Chaves)

Taiga was married to another accomplished literati painter, Ike Gyokuran.