Two Snipes in a Stream c. 1683

Curator: Kano Tsunenobu painted these "Two Snipes in a Stream," and it resides here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It’s incredibly serene; the delicate brushstrokes make the snipes almost melt into the golden wash of the background. You can feel the quiet of the marsh. Curator: The composition definitely evokes a sense of stillness. Snipes often symbolize solitude and resourcefulness, so their presence here taps into deeper themes. Editor: I wonder about the paper itself – likely meticulously prepared with multiple layers. The artist's choice of materials is so deliberate, impacting the mood. Curator: Yes, the texture of the paper lends the painting an almost ethereal quality, furthering the idea of the snipes as symbols transcending the everyday. Editor: Thinking about the artist's labor, grinding pigments, applying washes – it's a form of meditative work that seeps into the image itself. Curator: Absolutely. And as we absorb the painting, it reminds us to look beneath the surface, beyond the image itself, toward inner meanings. Editor: Agreed. It is a lovely reminder of how much contemplation can be held in the simplest of forms.