Showrooms

Tropical Fish in Ocean, 1930s

Creator: Nihonga
Offered by: Thomsen Gallery

Description
Nihonga Artist
Tropical Fish in Ocean, 1930s
Two-panel folding screen; ink, mineral colors, shell powder, and gold on silk
Size 67¾ x 74½ in. (172.3 x 189.5 cm)
T-4169

After the borders in Japan were opened to foreigh trade in 1853, foreign objects, customs and art styles entered the country, which had been isolated from the rest of the world for more than 200 years. The country eagerly absorbed all novelties and started to change. Many artists felt compelled to develop a new style of painting, to place opposite Western style oil painting. The Nihonga artists continued to work with traditional formats and materials, but the subject matter became more exotic and the perspective more Western.

The work presented here is a traditional two-panel folding screen. It is painted in ink, mineral colors and gofun (white powdered shell) on silk, as had been the tradition for centuries. However, the underwater view of a reef and tropical fish was a very novel and exotic idea. Something that the majority of the Japanese at that time would never have seen.

More Information

Documentation:	Documented elsewhere (similar item)
Period:	1920-1949
Creation Date:	1930's
Styles / Movements:	Asian Art
Incollect Reference #:	783885

Dimensions

W.	74.61 in;	H.	67.83 in;
W.	189.5 cm;	H.	172.3 cm;

Message from Seller:

Thomsen Gallery, now located at 8 East 67th Street, New York City, NY 10065, specializes in important Japanese paintings, folding screens, hanging scrolls, ceramics, ikebana bamboo baskets, lacquerware, and contemporary works by select artists. Owned and directed by Erik and Cornelia Thomsen, the gallery brings decades of expertise in Japanese art to a global clientele, including private collectors and major museums. For inquiries, contact them at 212-288-2588 or info@thomsengallery.com.