Five Korean Scenes: Water Drawer

TitleFive Korean Scenes: Water Drawer
Artist前田青邨 MAEDA Seison
Date1939
Mediumsumi and color on paper
Dimensions65.3×107.2
ClassificationJapanese-style Paintings
コレクション名木村定三コレクション / Kimura Teizo Collection
Accession NumberJJ200100014000
SummaryFrom 1915 onward, Seison made several visits to Korea. Based on his observations of the daily lives of local people, he created “Five Korean Subjects,” comprising “Ox and Girl,” “Fish Seller,” “Gisaeng,” “Playing the Gayageum,” and “Drawing Water.” This series was exhibited at the 26th reorganized Inten. In “Drawing Water,” a mother and daughter walk with water-filled jars balanced on their heads, while two magpies peck at food. The work uses Seison’s distinctive flowing ink lines and only the slightest highlights to capture the subjects. The exposed skin of the figures’ faces and hands is painted in a faint flesh tone. The pale green and vermilion on the daughter’s garment and the tip of her hair, positioned at the center of the composition, evoke vivid colors in the viewer’s imagination.

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