Dimensions 66 1/16 × 72 5/16 in. (167.8 × 183.67 cm) (image)
Curator: This watercolor, created in 1928 by Fukuda Suikō, depicts a "Gyrfalcon Hunting a Goose in Snow." You can find this piece here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor: Wow, it feels so still, but dynamic. A paradox, I know! The stark white against that beige... the fall of the snow is so subtle but also pronounced. What’s your initial read? Curator: I find the relationship between "high art" painting and the very physical, demanding activity of hunting intriguing here. Fukuda seems to flatten pictorial space while also meticulously rendering the material reality of a snowstorm, even indicating different ways snow gathers on surfaces. Editor: Exactly! You've got the pure adrenaline of the hunt, then the sheer beauty and almost dreamlike quality of falling snow, creating this charged juxtaposition that keeps you looking. There’s even, for me, this hint of vulnerability, of nature’s precarious balance… I keep wondering what kind of labour went into each precise watercolor wash. Curator: Consider the intense labor required for both hunting in these conditions and creating a watercolor with this level of detail. It challenges that traditional hierarchy separating physical, often undervalued, labor from artistic creation. The cost of goose feathers as raw materials for making paint and ink… these economic considerations add an entirely other layer. Editor: Yes, yes, completely. It reminds us that the 'artist' doesn't exist in a vacuum! How dependent we all are upon raw materials. Curator: Furthermore, I wonder if Fukuda considered the work the viewer performs as well. Following the hawk’s descent, noting the slight colour shifts. Our embodied experiences viewing also contributes to meaning. Editor: Absolutely. I felt like the hawk descending was my own impending anxiety for a moment there. Beautiful! Well, thank you for guiding us to appreciate the nuances and deeper implications of Fukuda Suiko’s breathtaking piece. Curator: It has been a pleasure. Considering it through the lenses of material reality helps unlock its profound depth.
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Fukuda Suikō was born in Kyoto, where he specialized in birds painted in a realistic, traditional style. This screen adheres to the so-called “Three Whites” (sanpaku), a popular painting maxim depicting three white elements. In this case, a gyrfalcon pursues a goose against a wintry background. The steep angle of the falcon’s chase creates a diagonal movement across the screen. The heavy snowflakes scattered in the foreground are accented with an application of white calcium carbonate pigment, known as gofun. Fukuda Suikō worked as a print designer and painter, and regularly contributed works to the Exhibition of the Ministry of Education (Bunten later Teiten).
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