Twelve Pictures of the Months: 12. The December Picture | Yoshimura Kokei 吉村孝敬 | 1769-1836

In the last month of the year, December, the theme, as winter begins, is naturally snow. A road, lined with snow-laden trees, stretches into the background and disappears behind steeply rising hills. A lone deer is the last vestige of nature's activity. In poetry, too, the motionless animal is a symbol of cold, retreat, and survival. In the lower part of the painting, we see where humans have disappeared to. They have withdrawn to their homes and are warming themselves by the fire – smoke rises – in this inhospitable time.

(only available as a series)