Han Shui

Han Shui 

漢水

Artist
MAEDA, Seison
前田 青邨
Birth Year
1885
Death Year
1977
Date
ca. 1926 
Technique, Material, Format
ink on silk, hanging scroll 
Dimension
53.0 x 73.0 cm 
Category
Nihonga (Japanese-style Painting) 
Inventory Number
86-JP-054 

Don’t just glance and then look away. This is a work that warrants close examination. It shows the Han River, the largest tributary of the Yangtze River in China, which has long served as an important means of transportation for people and goods. A dock on the river is depicted. At the bottom right people are arranging the round containers that have been unloaded from the boat. In the center a man is carrying a balance rod over his shoulder and it bends under the weight of the buckets on either side. Some people in the crowd carry long, narrow roll-like objects. If you look closely, you can see the squiggly lines bending and turning to form people or objects. No one has any facial expressions, but—hold on!—over there is a profile of a person with a wide-open mouth. Is it just me, or is looking at this painting a bit like playing "Where’s Wally?"
(HIBINO Miyon)

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