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- Medieval Painting
- Landscape of the Four Seasons
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Medieval Painting
Landscape of the Four Seasons
- Japan, Muromachi Period, 15th-16th century
- Handscroll; ink and light color on paper
- H. 21.5 cm, W. 1151.5 cm
- Kyoto National Museum (AK358)
This long scroll (over 10 meters in length) depicts landscapes in the four seasons. It is often called the "Short Scroll of Landscapes" in contrast with the so-called "Long Scroll of Landscapes," also by Sesshu, kept in the Mori Hoko-kai.
The careful brush strokes and the strict composition reflect the influence of Xia Gui from the China's Southern Song Dynasty. As the brush strokes are milder than those in the Mori-family scroll, some art-historians think that this work was painted not long before Sesshu's death.