Autumn Landscape

Hishida Shunsô was from the city of Iida in Nagano Prefecture. Along with individuals such as Okakura Tenshin and Yokoyama Taikan, he was involved in the establishment of Nihon Bijutsu-in (Japan Art Institute). He attempted a style of painting with no lines, called “Môrô-tai” (vague style), and together with Taikan, he promoted the movement to reform Japanese-style painting at the end of the Meiji period. This composition is a major work positioned in the early period of Môrô-tai. It devises the expression of the air and light through gradation techniques and skillfully expresses the subtly beautiful, silent charm of a valley in the midst of autumn.