Day 96 - Tiger scroll painting

October 15, 2018

Gallery 230 contains a handful of works that are mostly from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Several of these works, according to the captions, reflect the infusion of Western naturalism into the representation of traditional Japanese subjects. One exception is a large folding screen depicting a peacock sitting on a bough, his tail spread out behind him and occupying a  good half of the panel, while his drab-colored mate looks on. Although the birds' plumage is presented in great detail, the screen as a whole strikes me as flat and decorative rather than naturalistic, especially because the blue "eyes" in the peacock's tail feathers stand out against a gold ground. It looks like something Klimt would have painted, if Klimt had been Japanese.

Today's object is a silk scroll painting, perhaps 48 inches high and 18 inches wide, of a tiger. It was made by Kisi Ganku (1749-1838) in the early 19th century. Ganku, I read, was renowned for his paintings of tigers and was influenced by a Chinese painter who espoused a more naturalistic style. This painting conveys to me the strength and power of the tiger; the animal's green eyes speak to its eerie beauty as well. The head, with its long whiskers and bristly muzzle, is clearly indicated, as are the large paws with their dark claws. Only the front part of the torso is shown, but as the animal moves toward us on the diagonal, its left forepaw raised, we get a sense of the musculature of its shoulders.  It's up to us to fill in what the rest of the beast looks like. But Ganzu has captured the animal's essence and life force. This painting speaks to me much more than does the one of the decorative, inanimate peacock.