Su Shi's Second Visit to the Red Cliff c. 18th century

Sakaki Hyakusen created "Su Shi's Second Visit to the Red Cliff" as a hanging scroll with ink on paper. This work evokes the classical Chinese ideal of the scholar-official, who balanced public service with private contemplation of nature. Here, the artist references the Song dynasty poet Su Shi, representing him in a small boat dwarfed by towering cliffs. This imagery speaks to the artist's own context in 18th-century Japan. During this period, Japan's art world was dominated by official schools patronized by the shogunate. However, Hyakusen aligned himself with a different intellectual tradition, one inspired by Chinese literati painting. By choosing this subject matter, Hyakusen subtly critiqued the dominant artistic institutions of his time and asserted the importance of individual expression. To further understand this painting, we can research the history of literati painting in Japan, examining exhibition records and collections to illuminate Hyakusen's place within this movement.