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School of Fish
Soga Shohaku (Japanese, 1730–1781)
Mid- to late 18th century
- Medium
- Hanging scroll; ink on paper
- Classification
- Painting
- Culture
- Japan
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Asia
- Credit line
- Purchased with funds provided by the Alsdorf Foundation
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
Soga Shōhaku used a wide format here to depict a school of salmon swimming along the current of a stream or river, with the fish looping in front of the viewer before heading off into the distance. The farther away they appear to be, the more abbreviated they become, enhancing the sense of their speed. In the 18th century, Japanese artists increasingly relied on shasei (sketches) drawn from direct observation to conceive their compositions. They also began to use shasei as the basis for large-scale works such as screens, sliding doors, and hanging scrolls like this one.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
