The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

Monkeys by a Stream

Monkeys by a Stream

c. 1796
(Japanese, 1754–1799)
Overall: 164.4 x 95.4 cm (64 3/4 x 37 9/16 in.)
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Monkeys, which are found throughout the mountainous and wooded areas of Japan, became a favorite subject of many later Japanese artists.

Description

The two monkeys in this painting are Japanese macaques. The one in front dangles its left leg over a sharply angled rock, surveying the land beyond a fast-moving mountain stream. A smaller monkey sits behind it, looking directly ahead as if it realizes it is being watched. The artist used just a few highly contrasting warm and cool colors, sweeping brushstrokes over ink washes, and loose lines to create a scene that powerfully evokes the mentally engaged state of the two animals.
  • ?–1985
    (James J. Freeman, Kyoto, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1985–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Animals in Japanese Art (Japanese art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 24-December 10, 2023).
    The Year in Review for 1985. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 12-April 20, 1986).
    CMA, 1986: "Year in Review 1985," CMA Bulletin 73 (February, 1986), no. 187, p. 70, reproduced p. 33.
  • {{cite web|title=Monkeys by a Stream|url=false|author=Nagasawa Rosetsu|year=c. 1796|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1985.192