Cranes and Waves [left of a pair] by Soga Shōhaku

Cranes and Waves [left of a pair] c. 1760s

ink-on-paper

light pencil work

pencil sketch

incomplete sketchy

japan

ink-on-paper

personal sketchbook

ink drawing experimentation

pen-ink sketch

sketchbook drawing

sketchbook art

fantasy sketch

watercolor

"Cranes and Waves [left of a pair]" is a six-panel screen painting created by Japanese artist Soga Shōhaku in the 1760s. The screen, housed in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, depicts a pair of cranes perched amidst rolling waves. Shōhaku's masterful use of ink washes and brushstrokes gives a sense of movement and depth to the composition. The painting exemplifies Shōhaku's signature style, known for its expressive brushwork and dynamic depiction of nature. The delicate yet powerful image of cranes and waves conveys themes of longevity, grace, and the resilience of nature.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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Cranes, waves, and pines signify long life and evoke the realm of the immortals, the Daoist paradise Mount Hōrai (Penglai). Cranes also denote happiness and marital fidelity. Shōhaku was celebrated for the eccentricity of both his lifestyle and painting style. Little is known about his life, but it seems that he was born into a merchant family in Kyoto and received some instruction in Kanō school painting. Taking up the life of an itinerant painter, he created many of his unorthodox works of art for temples, where he lodged while travelling the country.(2013.30.14.1-.2)