Left to her own devices, Nature creates moments of extraordinary, magical beauty, pure in itself, without any hint of the sentimental or romantic. Sometimes an artist captures a moment of exquisite beauty as it occurs in Nature, without falsely editing it. This painting is one of those rare and masterful examples. Bunrin is sharing with us the result of his observation and insight, and guiding us into the world attuned to the possibility of such beauty. He reached to the level of skill that does not require explanation nor manipulation.

About the Artist

Shiokawa Bunrin was born in Kyoto in 1808, as a son of a samurai. At age 14, upon his father's passing, he moved to live with relatives in Fushimi in Kyoto. Little is known of his early career until the1850s when he appeared as an established artist working in the Imperial Palace. During the chaotic years before the Meiji restoration, Bunrin stayed away from the center of Kyoto and spent time studying collections of many temples and shrines of the region. He also encountered with western paintings at this period. He was a major artist, who greatly influenced the Kyoto style of painting in the early Meiji era.