Landscape after the Four Wangs

Okada Hankō’s monumental work is a tour de force in the spirit of the Four Wangs, a circle of conservative Chinese painters who created stylized interpretations of classic works. This painting follows orthodox principles of composition—the foreground, middle-ground, and background are distinct yet well-integrated—maintaining order in this otherwise fantastical, complex setting. The inscription reads: The water is gone from the stony river that has a disorderly look. The leaves are gone from the mountain that has a wonderful scene. The thoroughly wet old man on the bridge, where will he go? There is a western village where an unsettled game of Go is waiting for him. Tenth month, 1840 (translated by Masato Nishimura)