Waterfall 1887
shibatazeshin
minneapolisinstituteofart
hanging-scroll
art work
negative space
incomplete sketchy
art
teenage art
japan
fan art
hanging-scroll
artistic
arty
tonal art
mixed medium
"Waterfall" is a Japanese painting created by Shibata Zeshin, a prominent artist of the late Edo and early Meiji periods, in 1887. This hanging scroll, executed in ink on paper, depicts a dramatic waterfall cascading down a rocky cliffside, evoking the power and beauty of nature. Zeshin's masterful brushwork captures the swirling motion of the water and the rugged texture of the rocks, using a minimalist palette of black and white to enhance the painting's evocative impact. The simplicity of the composition and the artist's attention to detail are characteristic of his style, which blended traditional Japanese aesthetics with elements of Western realism.
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According to Japan's indigenous belief system, natural phenomena such as ancient trees, unusually large rocks, mountains, and waterfalls were evidence of divinity and worthy of worship. Thus, artists have long painted images of waterfalls as religious icons. In addition, paintings of waterfalls became popular decorations within domestic interiors because of their ability to suggest cool, rushing water, during the intense heat of summer.
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