Minneapolis Institute of Art

Red Cliff

Kimura Kenkadō

Date

second half 18th century

Medium

Hanging scroll, ink on paper

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Kimura Kenkadō was a scholar-merchant and literati painter from Osaka, whose residence was a meeting point for painters and writers from all over town. In this work, he depicts the Red Cliff in a dramatic composition, hanging almost menacingly over the small boat below. Even more tension between foreground and background is created by placing smaller mountains in the distance. It is, however, a purely fictional depiction of the place, based on a sketch from the painting manual “Eight Types of Picture Albums” ( Hasshu gafu ), as Kenkadō had never visited the Red Cliff. Japan, Asia

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