1925 (ca.), Ogawa Usen, Desolate Garden in Clear Autumn -- National Museum of Asian Art (Washington)
From the museum label: Ogawa Usen reminds us that shiny objects are not the only things that can be attractive; there is also beauty in decay. And this painting is full of decay. Flapping plantain leaves are at the center, the vivid green of this summer plant changed out for the brown colors of the fall. Ogawa Usen was known as a "farmer- painter" (nõmin gaka). Although he often traveled throughout Japan, his life was firmly anchored by the marshland in Ibaraki prefecture, where he lived, giving his works the local flavor found in many literati paintings.
1925 (ca.), Ogawa Usen, Desolate Garden in Clear Autumn -- National Museum of Asian Art (Washington)
From the museum label: Ogawa Usen reminds us that shiny objects are not the only things that can be attractive; there is also beauty in decay. And this painting is full of decay. Flapping plantain leaves are at the center, the vivid green of this summer plant changed out for the brown colors of the fall. Ogawa Usen was known as a "farmer- painter" (nõmin gaka). Although he often traveled throughout Japan, his life was firmly anchored by the marshland in Ibaraki prefecture, where he lived, giving his works the local flavor found in many literati paintings.