Geese Descending in Mid Autumn (Seishu no rakugan), from the series "Eight Scenes of the Four Seasons (Shiki hakkei)"
c. 1779
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions
26.1 × 19.3 cm (10 5/16 × 7 5/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
22520
Art Historical Context
Torii Kiyonaga’s “Geese Descending in Mid Autumn” captures the quiet poetry of the changing seasons through the elegant flight of migrating birds. Created around 1779 as part of the series “Eight Scenes of the Four Seasons,” this chuban-sized color woodblock print reflects the refined taste of latedo-period Japan, when drew inspiration from classical Chinese Japanese literary themes that celebrated nature’s cyclical beauty. Kiyonaga, celebrated for his graceful portrayals of women and atmospheric landscapes, employed the ukiyo-e technique of multi-block color printing to achieve subtle gradat...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyonaga · 1752–1815
Torii Kiyonaga, born Sekiguchi Shinsuke in 1752 in Uraga, Sagami Province, was the son of an Edo bookseller who owned tenements near a bustling fish market. At age 14 in 1765, he began his apprenticeship under Torii Kiyomitsu, the third-generation head of the prestigious Torii school of ukiyo-e, renowned for kabuki theater illustrations and signage. Adopted into the Torii family, Kiyonaga succeede...