34 Japanese Calligraphy Set Stock Photos, High-Res Pictures, and Images - Getty Images

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Akashi Bay, late 18th century, Ike Gyokuran, Japanese, 1727 - 1784, 8 1/2 × 17 1/2 in. , Ink on paper sized with mica, Japan, 18th century, Gyokuran depicts a Japanese scene, one that she likely observed first-hand, rather than an idealized and imagined Chinese landscape. Her subject, Akashi Bay, is a well-known fishing village in present day Hyogo prefecture, best known for its octopus. This fan is typical of Gyokuran's oeuvre—small in format, and lacking in great drama, but rich in refinement, finesse and tranquility. Gyokuran follows a long tradition of combining text and image, but in using waka poetry for her inscription she further evolves literati painting along Japanese lines. The image dominates the right side of the fan, while the text is prominent on the lift, with a harmonious overlap in the middle. Each line of calligraphy is neatly ordered within a band of the fan between the bones, the text thus following the curve of the fan. In contrast the struts of land break away from this compositional device by jutting out at near perpendicular angles. The pine-covered strips of land are painted with a wet, flat brush, contrasting with the finer, more delicate and drier Get premium, high resolution news photos at getty