Sound of waves c. early to mid 19th century

ink-on-paper, hanging-scroll

abstract expressionism

abstract painting

rough brush stroke

japan

possibly oil pastel

ink-on-paper

hanging-scroll

underpainting

pastel chalk drawing

paint stroke

watercolour bleed

abstract art

watercolor

calligraphy

"Sound of Waves" is a Japanese calligraphy work by Kikuchi Gozan, a prominent artist of the Edo period, created in the early to mid-19th century. The artwork, housed at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, showcases Gozan's mastery of the brushstrokes, displaying elegant and fluid characters, evoking a sense of movement and rhythm, perhaps symbolizing the dynamic nature of waves. The calligraphic piece exemplifies the artistic tradition of *shodō* (Japanese calligraphy), which emphasizes the expressive power of written characters.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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Kikuchi Gozan was a famous poet during the late Edo period. He was born into a scholarly Confucian family and eventually established his own poetry school. Between 1804 and 1832, Gozan released ten issues of “Talks on Poetry from Gozan’s Study” (Gozandō shiwa), a publication that sought to introduce the works of hitherto unknown poets to the public. A single line of calligraphy is a demanding exercise; its sparseness requires that both the composition of individual characters and the overall arrangement of them are interesting and well-balanced. This work, executed in running script, begins with a dark, heavy character for ‘night,’ the weight of which is emphasized and counter-balanced by the lightly written characters that follow. The varying thickness and wetness of brushstrokes reveal where Gozan has re-dipped his brush in the ink, and compliment the rhythm of his poem.夜船燈火　漁家雨　秋枕涛殸　僧榻風Light from a lamp at night in a boat— / Rain over the fisherman's home; / Sound of waves from an autumn pillow— / Wind over the Buddhist monk's bed!(Trans. Stephen Addiss)