"Springtime on the River" Meiji Period Scroll Painting

Although Western painting was initially embraced during Japan’s Meiji period (1868–1912), artists brought on a revival of traditional painting styles as they sought to create a modern Japanese style with roots in the past. This hanging scroll entitled “Springtime on the River” demonstrates the preference for soft layering of gray tones with judicious use of color. Largely absent of outlines, the towering landscape is rendered in washes and repetitive brushstrokes that describe budding leaves, weeping willow branches and the texture of rock. Emphasizing nature’s majesty and the beauty of spring’s rebirth, the painting reduces human presence to a small skiff plying the waters for a trio of courtly figures admiring the view.