Cleveland Museum of Art

Landscape with Gentle Peaks

Kan Tenju

Date

1767

Medium

hanging scroll; ink and light color on paper

Culture

Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

Department

Japanese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

A figure sits in a retreat tucked into the mountains near a waterfall. The painter, Kan Tenju, was best known as a calligrapher and seal carver. Of Korean heritage, he was a patron of artist Ike Taiga (池大雅) (1723–1776), and a cousin of Taiga’s student Aoki Shukuya (青木 夙夜) (died 1802). His Chinese-style poem reads as follows: Smoky mist in the mountain reflects light after the rain, Sunlight passes through the clouds to cast shadows of the trees, Alone in the sunset, I read a well-worn book. This painting combines image and calligraphy, connected by skillful brushwork.

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