Thunderstorm in the Country | Hanabusa Itchō | 1652-1724

Hanabusa Itchō stands out in Japanese art history as an outsider. He came from a good family - his father was a physician in various princely services. At the age of 15, Itchō entered a monastery, but due to his unruly temperament, he was soon shown the door. Afterwards, he apprenticed with Kanō Yasunobu, one of the most respected painters of the Kanō school. However, his rebellious spirit refused to conform to the strict artistic directives of the studio, and so he was soon expelled. Later, in 1698, he was involved in a scandal when he made fun of the Shogun's courtesan; for this, he was sent into exile.

However, Itchō was highly talented, also as a poet, which earned him the friendship of Bashō. He often frequented the entertainment districts and loved the life of a bohemian. This meant he no longer had any prospect of princely patronage, so he tried his luck with bourgeois art lovers. This, on the one hand, freed him from established art aesthetics and, on the other hand, helped him to take on new motifs.

Farmers running head over heels, gesticulating wildly during a downpour in a thunderstorm, are certainly not a classic motif in the 17th century. This vividness in the movement of the figures and in their facial expressions was certainly closer to bourgeois taste than to that of the nobility. But also the depiction of the clouds, which almost look like slate rock with their corners, is very unusual, and it is also rare for a real lightning bolt to be painted during thunderstorms. These are all elements that Itchō himself invented, for which, as a free spirit, he had to account to no one.

The mounting may no longer be entirely perfect, but its colors are harmonious with the faded blue above and below (jōge) and it cannot be replaced as an ensemble. The somewhat old-fashioned turned end pieces on the lower picture rail have also been retained.

The signature is - given the breadth of Itchō's signature variants - trustworthy; however, the seal could not be located.