Jinshan Island and West Lake 1630

Kano Sanraku painted this six-panel screen depicting Jinshan Island and West Lake with ink and color on paper. The use of paper as a ground is significant. Its inherent qualities, like absorbency, allow for the ink to bleed slightly, creating soft edges. The artist’s skilled manipulation of the brush, combined with the paper's receptive surface, enhances the atmospheric perspective. Sanraku’s application of ink, ranging from delicate washes to bold strokes, defines forms and textures. He skillfully renders the mountains and buildings, imbuing them with a sense of depth and volume. The choice of a screen format is also critical; it suggests this work was made for a domestic interior, perhaps a wealthy patron’s home. Screens require sophisticated woodworking, paper-making and painting skills, as well as a complex division of labor, all of which contributed to the economy of the Kano school of painting. Considering these elements allows us to appreciate the rich interplay between material, making, and cultural context.