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Gazing at a Waterfall, Tani Bunchō
Gazing at a Waterfall, 1790

Tani Bunchō

1763–1841 · Japanese painting · 5 works

Tani Bunchō connects painted landscape with the world of poetry and scholarship. A figure and an attendant approach a waterfall beneath towering rocks; geese descend into a quieter river view. His imagined portrait of the scholar Dazai Shundai shifts from landscape to character, using robe, posture and facial outline to organize the image. Inscriptions make writing part of the viewing experience.

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5 works · 1788–1790

Compare the scale of the waterfall’s figures with the large seated scholar in the portrait.

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Shared styles, periods, or traditions in the collection.

Original museum reproductions, with source records on every artwork page.

Artist information: Cleveland Museum of Art (Gazing at a Waterfall (1972.16), Wild Geese Descending on a Sandbar, from Eight Views of Xiao-Xiang (1980.188.4), Imaginary Portrait of Shundai Dazai (1985.248)).

Public-domain art. An imagined museum; no museum affiliation.