Inscription:
“Water dried in the autumn river,
the beak of the sandbank is fine;
Reeds blossom like the snow,
in the glow of the setting sun.
Rice already harvested in the paddy field,
Sounds of sparrows are few;
Clouds have cleared in the heavens above,
the cranes aim high.
In the field lunch is served,
since Ge Bo is not there;*
during the festival meat is divided evenly
just as was done by Chen Lang.**
Leisurely stroll and feel deeply,
the blessings of a peaceful world;
In a country shop you may freely
order a goblet of wine.
On a winter day during the year 1882, painted at the Old Bamboo Garden by Gaku.”
*Ge Bo was a Lord of the Xia dynasty who attacked and stole from people carrying food.
** Chen Ping was a politician of the Western Han who was praised for dividing meat evenly during a festival, saying he would treat a nation like this.
A solitary figure fishes from a boat near the banks of a snowy watercourse. Houses below and a village in a valley above are the only other indications of human occupation of the stark winter landscape. Despite the paucity of narrative, however, the overall visual impact is rich, derived primarily from the great variety in the brush and ink work. The style and rather expressionistic approach taken here identify the artist as a member of the Bunjin or Literati School of painting.
Hirano Gogaku (1806-1893) was born in Hita, Bungo (now Oita prefecture), the son of the chief priest of Shonen-ji. He was then adopted by the chief priest of Sennen-ji, also in Hita, and later inherited that position. Studying Chinese classics at Kangi-en, a private school in Hita run by Hirose Tanso, Gogaku came to excel in writing poetry. At about the age of thirty he came under the influence of Tanomura Chikuden (1777-1835) and began painting, often travelling to Kyoto where he became acquainted with many literati such as Nukina Kaioku (1778-1863). Although he never went to Edo (Tokyo) Gogaku did become well known there during the early Meiji era because of his friendship with Matsukata Masayoshi, an official and later prime minister, who had seen and admired Gogaku’s talent when governor of Hitao. Gogaku was invited work for the government in Tokyo but refused to accept. His basic attitudes to life and art are expressed in the legends of seals on one of his paintings: “Enjoying the lute and calligraphy so as to extinguish melancholy;” “Knower of Bamboo;” and especially the name of his garden, “Master of the Old Bamboo Garden.”
Painting details:
Box:
秋景 Shyū kei Autumn scenery
山水 Sansui Landscape
五岳 Gogakua (by)Gogaku