Cranes and Waves [right of a pair] c. 1760s

"Cranes and Waves [right of a pair]" is a six-panel folding screen (byōbu) created by the Japanese artist Soga Shōhaku in the 1760s. Shōhaku was known for his bold, expressive brushwork and depictions of nature, which often conveyed a sense of dynamism and movement. The screen features cranes in a variety of poses, with some perched on tree branches and others wading in the water. The artist’s use of black ink on paper allows for a powerful depiction of the cranes and the waves, which are rendered with a sense of force and energy. The screen's dynamic composition and the artist's signature style make it a quintessential example of 18th-century Japanese art.