Waterfall 瀧 | Mori Ippō 森一鳳 | 1798-1871

Ippō is a brilliant figure in the Mori school of painting. This school was founded by Mori Sosen, whose distinction lay not in painting nature – particularly animals – according to traditional models, but in actually retreating into the wilderness to observe monkeys, deer and the like closely and then depict them. Ippō is a grand-pupil of this brilliant painter, and through the tutelage of his direct teacher, Mori Tetsuzan – by whom he was adopted – he has admirably developed the founder’s legacy.

Painting waterfalls is tempting, yet it poses a problem, as it is almost impossible to depict the water itself. One can only allow the cascading masses of water to take shape in the viewer’s imagination. On the left-hand side, Mori paints the rocks over which the water cascades in relatively dark tones, adding just a few leafy twigs to satisfy his commitment to realistic painting. He then ventures to suggest a few strands of water using heavily diluted ink, but these extend no further than the centre of the picture. Mori, too, knows that no ink-painting technique exists that can fully capture water.

A subtle, realistic detail lends the scene its atmosphere: to suggest the mist observed above the waterfall, the colouring of the narrow strip of sky does not quite reach the cascading water, thereby creating the impression of spray.

The Japanese love waterfalls and also saw them as manifestations of the divine. During the hot summers, they liked to hang pictures of waterfalls in their art alcoves to create, at least visually, a sense of freshness and coolness in the house…