Carp | Itō Jakuchū (attr.) | 1716-1800

Itō Jakuchū, along with two other painters (Nagasawa Rosetsu and Soga Shōhaku), belongs to the "Three Rebels" of the 18th century. During this era, Maruyama Ōkyo (1733-1795) was considered the epitome of excellent art with his painting. Ōkyo's great achievement was his engagement with European art, which was difficult to access at the time. He utilized (but only when it artistically stimulated him) Western perspective, conducted nature studies like a Renaissance artist, and masterfully covered almost all areas that interested a Japanese painter at that time.

His greatest influence came from his realism – even in the 19th and early 20th centuries, his approach, based on meticulous observations of nature, was decisive (not to say burdensome) for most painters in their work.

However, there were three strong-willed personalities who opposed Ōkyo's unspoken aesthetic dictates. Jakuchū found various ways to counter the ideal of beauty in Ōkyo's art. A major exhibition in 2000 at the National Museum Kyoto astonished everyone with the immense richness of design forms that Jakuchū had reinvented.

In ink painting, it was primarily daring graphic formulations that amazed – and which also fascinate in this carp. The entire head area is formulated very expressively and distinctly, but far removed from Ōkyo's naturalism. The virtuosity of the brushwork in the fins and the sensibility of the scale design are unsurpassed.

Additionally, there is the formal treatment of the vertical format: only the front third of the carp and – in the lower part of the picture – its tail extend into the image. A few leafy blades of seagrass suggest the pond in which the carp swims.

The signature of the painting is somewhat problematic in that only a few of Jakuchū's paintings are marked with a single seal – the painter did not sign many paintings (which is not a problem), but usually, he used two seals. The existing seal is perfectly in order, and the quality of the painting is so good that the authorship can be classified as secure. Nevertheless, the painting should only be classified here as "attributed" because it has been remounted and no original box is available.