53-1/4 x 16-3/8 in. (image) 81-1/4 x 27-1/2 in. (installed)
Signed: Chikkei Seal: Seigyo no in Seal: azana Shofu
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alan J. Strassman
Asian Art (Japanese and Korean)
Japanese painting is rich with images of Chinese scholar-sages. This might be the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai (701-762). The moon, along with wine and beautiful women, was among the most popular imagery for Chinese poetry, and a good example is Li Bai's poem "Drinking Alone by Moonlight." A free translation of its opening lines reads: "Among the flowers, a single jar of wine/ Having no companions I poured for myself/ I raised my cup and invited the bright moon/ To cast my shadow and make us three."
Using crisp, angular line work, Chikkei managed to deftly endow the figure and the rocks with volume and weight. The visual tension between the moon hanging in the sky and the figure's upraised hand energizes the composition.
Metadata about the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s collection comes from Newfields’ records and research. In some cases, information may be incomplete and research is ongoing. Newfields’ goal is to have as up-to-date metadata as possible, therefore, this information is subject to change. Newfields collections’ metadata is available under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) waiver, which allows for re-use without legal restrictions.
Artworks that appear in the image file(s) above may be in copyright or have other legal and/or cultural restrictions to their use. For clarity, Newfields does not claim copyright to the image files created by Newfields of artworks in the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s collection. Newfields makes every effort to ascertain the copyright status of artworks in the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s collection. Please refer to the RightsStatements.org statement above for information about the current copyright status of the artwork. Additionally, some artworks may include Local Context’s Notices or Labels that attribute cultural authority of the artwork’s heritage and data.
Additional information about Newfields’ reproduction guidelines can be found in the Licensing Resources.
4000 Michigan Road, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA 46208-3326 | 317-923-1331
Copyright © 2024 Newfields. All rights reserved.
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services [MA-251861-OMS-22].