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Hashidate Shisen, (1855-1921) Ebi and Koi Among Water Reeds (left screen) pair of two-panel screens: ink and color on silk, signed Shisen with artist's red square-shaped seal painting: 51.5 by 167.2 cm. overall: 90.8 by 285.8 cm. $17,000 (pair) | |
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In the right screen, reeds and vines rendered in watery green ink reach across the two panels at a low angle. Three light grey ebi (crayfish) swim in tranquil water, their movement suggested only by faint lines disturbing the surface. The left screen illustrates a colorful grouping of koi (carp) and long tailed kingyo (goldfish) moving with a pair of turtles and tiny goby fish along a current of faint blue wash. Clusters of grasses and flowers place the viewer above the surface of the water. A small crab peers out from beneath the protection of the plants. The paintings on this pair of screens were originally mounted back-to-back on a single furosaki byobu, a low screen commonly used in tea ceremonies to protect the brazier from a draft. Particularly associated with the summer months when the brazier would be above ground, furosaki byobu often illustrate water subjects and are placed behind the small brazier used to heat the water for the tea. Depending on the arrangement of the teahouse, the reverse side of the screen may have been visible to the participants as they entered or departed from the room. Hashidate Shisen was a student of the Maruyama-Shijo school, a school of painting founded by Maruyama Okyo (1733-1795), named for the district in which he worked, the fourth ward (shijo) in Kyoto. Okyo was trained in the Kano style of painting, but tended towards more realistic depictions of nature. Instead of relying on the strong outline of the Kano School, the Maruyama-shijo style created volume using the tsuketate technique of suggesting highlights and shadows with layered daubs of ink. Hashidate Shisen utilized this delicate method of manipulating the ink to create a subtle rendering of the various fish just below the water's surface. |
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