Three Raccoon Dogs c. late 18th century

color-on-silk, hanging-scroll, ink

color-on-silk

japan

possibly oil pastel

oil painting

hanging-scroll

ink

coffee painting

underpainting

animal drawing portrait

portrait drawing

watercolour illustration

portrait art

watercolor

fine art portrait

Mori Sosen, a renowned Japanese artist specializing in animal paintings, created this captivating depiction of three raccoon dogs, known as tanuki. The painting, executed in the late 18th century, showcases Sosen's mastery of the "ukiyo-e" style, which emphasizes the beauty of the natural world. The raccoon dogs are rendered with exquisite detail, their soft fur and lively expressions captured with delicate brushstrokes. The work, currently housed at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, stands as a testament to Sosen's enduring legacy in Japanese art.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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Celebrated for his depictions of monkeys, Mori Sosen also excelled at capturing the character of other animals. This painting shows a group of three raccoon dogs (tanuki). The naturalistic posing, one scratching itself, seemingly listening, one directly staring at the viewer and the third open-mouthed with its tongue extended, illuminates Sosen’s personal observations of these wild animals. This may be an interpretation of the Chinese proverb typically illustrating monkeys gesturing “Hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil.”