Font size: +

Exhibition Highlight from Ito Jakuchu: A Man with No Age

Rooster, Hen, and Hydrangeas
Itō Jakuchū (1716-1800)
Edo Period, 18th Century
Hanging Scroll, ink and colors on silk
140cm x 85 cm
Courtesy of the Etsuko and Joe Price Collection
Jakuchū undoubtedly was fascinated by chickens and roosters, as seen by his many depictions of fowl in his works. He studied them wholeheartedly, reportedly following them around for hours. This work epitomizes Jakuchū’s intense love for nature. Surrounded by roses and hydrangeas, a rooster flaunts his dramatic feathers in front of the shy hen he courts. Jakuchū intensifies the painting’s complex design through painstaking detail. The roses in the lower right corner are not painted over the hen or the foliage behind them. The lightest color of their petals is just the pure exposed silk of the scroll. Moreover, observe the rooster’s tail feathers; they are not painted over the deep blue hydrangeas. Again, the pure color of the silk shows through.

Rooster, Hen, and Hydrangeas seems to date somewhere between 1755-1757, when Jakuchū handed over his family’s greengrocer business to his brother, after which Jakuchū devoted his life solely to painting. Jakuchū painted this scroll in a small studio in Kyoto. There are also two seals alongside his signature that also appear on the painting Mandarin Ducks amid Snow-Covered Reeds, which indicates that the two paintings were probably produced around the same time.

“I saw this painting at a dealer’s shop at the same time as Mandarin Ducks amid Snow-Covered Reeds. I could not afford to buy both so I just bought Rooster, Hen, and Hydrangeas, since I already owned a similar painting to Mandarin Ducks. Though when I went home and looked at my version of the mandarin ducks, it was not nearly as good as the one I had just seen.” – Joe Price

In order to preserved their beauty for future generations, the beautiful paintings premiered in the exhibition Itō Jakuchū: A Man with No Age are on view only through June 12, 2011 to preserve their beauty for future generations.

All text and images under copyright and may not be copied, printed or published without pemission from the lender.
Tigers Sprang from the Artist's Imagination
Civil War Officer's Frock Coat
 

Comments

No comments made yet. Be the first to submit a comment
Thursday, 31 October 2024

Captcha Image

Image

Hours of Operation

Tuesday - Sunday
10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Closed on:
Mondays
Fourth of July
Thanksgiving
Christmas
New Year's Day

Quick Links

Newsletter Sign-Up

Please enter your full name.
Please enter valid email adress.

Contact Us

2002 North Main Street
Santa Ana, California 92706
TEL: 714.567.3600

Follow Us On

Image