Yamaato Kakurei
Rocks Amid Crashing Wavescirca 1810

On view:

Geffen Galleries, Japan: Living Landscapes, Flowing Waters

Eight-panel folding screen painted with crashing ocean waves and rocky outcroppings in cobalt blue and white pigment on a gold leaf ground

Japanese six-panel folding screen with ink and mineral pigments on gold leaf; crashing blue and white waves rendered in flowing curved lines surround dark rocky outcroppings across the full width of the composition.

Detail of an ink and color painting on paper depicting a sandy shoreline or riverbank in warm ochre tones with fluid brushwork, pale teal-green mist or foliage at upper right, dark rocky forms above, a vertical column of Chinese calligraphy at center right, and a red seal below.

Artist or Maker: Yamaato Kakurei
Japan, active circa 1790-1820
Title: Rocks Amid Crashing Waves
Date Made: circa 1810
Period: Edo period (1603-1868)
Medium: Pair of eight-panel screens; gold leaf, mineral pigments (including malachite and azurite), and ink on paper
Dimensions: (.1-.2; each) Image: 64 13/16 × 191 3/16 in. (164.6 × 485.6 cm) (.1-.2; each) Mount: 66 3/8 × 192 3/4 × 11/16 in. (168.6 × 489.6 × 1.7 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of the 2017 Collectors Committee with additional funds provided by Laurie and Bill Benenson
Accession Number: M.2017.90.1-.2
Classification: Paintings
Collecting Area: Japanese Art
Curatorial Notes: Yamaato Kakurei was counted among the “Ten Great Disciples” of famed artist Maruyama Ōkyo (1733–1795), founder of the Maruyama-Shijō School of painting in Kyoto. This pair of eight-panel screens was inspired by Ōkyo’s three rooms of painted sliding doors at the Kongōji temple (1788), today registered as Important Cultural Properties, depicting waves and rocks with landing cranes. Kakurei borrowed his mentor’s idea of a fully encompassing scene of rough waves and rocks and applied it to a different format. These oversized screens could be placed on either side of a viewer to give the sense of immersion in the seascape; one side shows calmer waves, the other side is wilder. While Ōkyo’s original design included cranes, Kakurei eliminated them here, further focusing attention on the motion of the waves. In addition, rich colors against gold enhance the cooling effect. One unusual aspect of this set is the continuation of painting on the hinges between each panel, which adds to their luxurious appeal.

2018/2024
Selected Bibliography: Singer, Robert T., and Kawai Masatomo, editors. The Life of Animals in Japanese Art. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 2019.

Yamaato Kakurei
Rocks Amid Crashing Wavescirca 1810

On view:

Geffen Galleries, Japan: Living Landscapes, Flowing Waters

Artist or Maker: Yamaato Kakurei
Japan, active circa 1790-1820
Title: Rocks Amid Crashing Waves
Date Made: circa 1810
Period: Edo period (1603-1868)
Medium: Pair of eight-panel screens; gold leaf, mineral pigments (including malachite and azurite), and ink on paper
Dimensions: (.1-.2; each) Image: 64 13/16 × 191 3/16 in. (164.6 × 485.6 cm) (.1-.2; each) Mount: 66 3/8 × 192 3/4 × 11/16 in. (168.6 × 489.6 × 1.7 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of the 2017 Collectors Committee with additional funds provided by Laurie and Bill Benenson
Accession Number: M.2017.90.1-.2
Classification: Paintings
Collecting Area: Japanese Art
Curatorial Notes: Yamaato Kakurei was counted among the “Ten Great Disciples” of famed artist Maruyama Ōkyo (1733–1795), founder of the Maruyama-Shijō School of painting in Kyoto. This pair of eight-panel screens was inspired by Ōkyo’s three rooms of painted sliding doors at the Kongōji temple (1788), today registered as Important Cultural Properties, depicting waves and rocks with landing cranes. Kakurei borrowed his mentor’s idea of a fully encompassing scene of rough waves and rocks and applied it to a different format. These oversized screens could be placed on either side of a viewer to give the sense of immersion in the seascape; one side shows calmer waves, the other side is wilder. While Ōkyo’s original design included cranes, Kakurei eliminated them here, further focusing attention on the motion of the waves. In addition, rich colors against gold enhance the cooling effect. One unusual aspect of this set is the continuation of painting on the hinges between each panel, which adds to their luxurious appeal.

2018/2024
Selected Bibliography: Singer, Robert T., and Kawai Masatomo, editors. The Life of Animals in Japanese Art. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 2019.