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Chrysanthemums by a Stream

Ogata Kōrin (Japanese, 1658–1716)c. 1715–30 or later

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

These screens recall a painting style so closely identified with Ogata Kōrin (1658–1716) that it is called Rinpa, or “Rin School,” after the ideograph “rin” in his name. The highly stylized background accentuates floral groupings that have been groomed so as to appear utterly artificial, like the synthetic arrangements available today. Kōrin's genius derived in large measure from natural phenomena painstakingly observed and then manipulated to create compositions of startling refinement and sparkling isolation. This process may have grown out of Kōrin's early immersion in the family textile business, a medium that encourages such dramatic distillations of form: the stream's gold-crested waves bring to mind traditional kimono robe designs of Kōrin's era. Works with the signature seen on this painting, including a style name, or persona suggested to Kōrin by his brother Kenzan (1663–1743), are sometimes considered to have been produced either in the last year of his life, when he was very ill, or after his death. In both scenarios, the lion’s share of the work would have been done by studio assistants, but little is truly known of his studio practice. Given the regularity of the gold waves on the stream, and the tension in the arrangement of the chrysanthemums, it is also possible that the screens were made in emulation of Kōrin's designs by a later artist.

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  • Title: Chrysanthemums by a Stream
  • Creator: Ogata Kōrin (Japanese, 1658–1716)
  • Date Created: c. 1715–30 or later
  • Physical Dimensions: Overall: 163.2 x 369.9 cm (64 1/4 x 145 5/8 in.)
  • Provenance: (Yamanaka & Co., sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Type: Painting
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1958.206
  • Medium: Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink and color on gilded paper
  • Inscriptions: 蝉川末派隠士 法橋光琳 方祝(朱丸印)
  • Fun Fact: The signature used on these screens can perhaps indicate paintings made in the last year of the artist's life, or works completed by his studio after his death.
  • Department: Japanese Art
  • Culture: Japan, Edo period (1615-1868)
  • Credit Line: Gift of the Hanna Fund
  • Collection: ASIAN - Folding screen
  • Accession Number: 1958.206
The Cleveland Museum of Art

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