Autumn Landscape c. 19th century

This hanging scroll, Autumn Landscape, was created by Nagai Unpei using ink on paper. The artist has masterfully used a brush to apply different gradations of ink, playing with water to create softer washes that imply depth and atmosphere. The mountain in the background almost dissolves into the paper, while the trees in the foreground have been given solidity with richer, darker ink. This is a traditional approach, one that is very much about skill, and time. The ability to produce these subtle effects would have taken years of patient practice. Nagai Unpei was a literati artist, a member of the scholar class. In feudal Japan, this meant that he was privileged, with leisure time to devote to artistic pursuits such as calligraphy and painting. While the landscape imagery might evoke a rural scene, it is important to remember that this was an image created by someone within a hierarchical social structure, a structure that afforded him the time and resources necessary for its creation. Paying attention to materials, making, and context allows us to understand the full meaning of an artwork, and challenges the traditional distinction between fine art and craft.