Squirrel

In 1897, the Gaikou school, a movement based on Impressionist theories and principles, was the mainstream of Japan's Western painting circles. Leading painters such as Yamadai Mi, Hishida Shunsou, and Kanou Hougai (1828-1888) were also influenced by the Gaikou movement and adopted an approach that favored color gradation over traditional Japanese painting's contour drawing. Consequently, outlines are hazy—the artists mixed paints to access colors in the mid-range of the spectrum, creating muddy hues, making images appear as though they were cloaked in a layer of fog. Thus, this style became known as?Mouroutai?("vague style"). Shyoukin Katuta was associated with the traditional Kanou school. In this painting, however, he adopted a lineless approach, using colors to render variations in shading, imbuing the work with a soft, gentle freshness. A squirrel on a tree branch gazes straight ahead, a gleam of clever intelligence shining in its eyes. Meticulously rendered, the painting captures both the animal's physical being and lively, animated spirit.