Artwork
Summer and Autumn Landscapes
Summer and Autumn Landscapes is an unspecified painting by the Nihonga artist Nakabayashi Chikkei. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1850 by Nakabayashi Chikkei, this six‑panel screen titled Summer and Autumn Landscapes is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection. The work presents a tranquil Japanese landscape that unfolds across a broad horizontal format, inviting the viewer to move through its layered scenery.
Subject & Meaning
The composition divides the visual field into two registers. The upper half depicts a hazy sky above distant mountains, while the lower half foregrounds a solitary tree and a thicket of bushes, with additional mountain forms receding into the distance. The muted palette evokes the transitional atmosphere between summer’s heat and autumn’s coolness.
Technique & Style
Executed on a series of six panels, the painting employs traditional Japanese brushwork combined with subtle applications of gold leaf in the sky, which introduces a warm glimmer against the overall browns, grays, and beiges. The restrained coloration and delicate line work reflect the aesthetic preferences of mid‑nineteenth‑century ukiyo‑e landscape painting.
History & Provenance
Attributed to Nakabayashi Chikkei, an artist active during the late Edo period, the screen entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s holdings through acquisition in the early twentieth century. Its provenance prior to museum ownership is not extensively documented, but the piece has been recognized as a representative example of Chikkei’s landscape oeuvre.
Context
During the mid‑1800s Japanese artists often produced multi‑panel screens for both decorative and ceremonial purposes, integrating natural motifs that resonated with contemporary poetic and philosophical ideas about seasonal change. Summer and Autumn Landscapes aligns with this tradition, offering a visual meditation on the passage of time through a harmonious blend of sky, land, and foliage.
Artist & collection
