Bo Le [right of a pair of the Legends of Xu You by Soga Shōhaku

Bo Le [right of a pair of the Legends of Xu You c. early 1760s

ink-on-paper

amateur sketch

light pencil work

quirky sketch

pencil sketch

incomplete sketchy

charcoal drawing

japan

ink-on-paper

sketchwork

pen-ink sketch

fantasy sketch

environment sketch

"Bo Le" (c. early 1760s) is a six-panel screen by Soga Shōhaku, a celebrated Japanese artist from the mid-18th century. The work depicts Bo Le, a legendary figure renowned for his ability to identify exceptional horses. The screen's composition is striking, with the figure of Bo Le in the right panel and a majestic ox in the far right panel. The depiction of the ox, a symbol of strength and diligence, may be an allusion to Bo Le's discerning eye for talent. The minimalist brushstrokes and the atmospheric cloudscapes, characteristic of Shōhaku's style, create a serene and evocative scene. The screen is a testament to the artist's mastery of ink and wash techniques, showcasing his exceptional skill in capturing the essence of nature and human character.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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Soga Shōhaku was celebrated in his own life for his unorthodox, peripatetic lifestyle and for the ease with which he could transform his painting style on a whim. But he was also a deeply studious painter who was fluent in a variety of classical Japanese and Chinese painting styles and had a vast knowledge of traditional painting subjects. In this pair of half-height folding screens, he combines illustrations of two stories about wise misfits from Chinese legend: a pair of insightful recluses, Xuyou and Chaofu, at right, and a famous judge of horses, Bole, at left. Shōhaku’s unconventional pictures, with their bold compositions, grotesque trees and pillars, and comically drunken old men, belie the serious philosophical underpinnings of the legends themselves, both of which appear in the Zhuangzi, a foundational Daoist text written in China in the 300s B.C.E.