Minneapolis Institute of Art

(Autumn flowers and singing insects)

Kō Sūkoku II

Date

1850s

Medium

Woodblock print (surimono), ink and color on paper

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Japanese artists frequently pictured animals aping the actions of humans. This print, however, shows a band of singing crickets marching through the field. The insect at the front looks like a conductor. While some are holding clarinet-like instruments, the others carry bellflowers and other autumn flowers. The background is filled with tasseled pampas grass and flowering bush clover. The harvest moon is partially defined by the encircling gradations of blue pigment. These details indicate the height of autumn when the fields are filled with the sound of singing insects. Asia

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