Cooling Off

On a late summer evening, gourds hang from a bamboo trellis beside a humble hut. A poor family of three sits on a straw mat, quietly gazing at the moon as they cool themselves. Each element — the outlines of the figures, the moon, the bamboo poles — is rendered using different brush techniques, showcasing the artist’s skill. It is a quiet moment of relaxation after a day of labor, yet there seems to be an air of sadness. Morikage was a renowned 17th-century painter who served the shogun. However, his son was exiled for misconduct, and his daughter reportedly abandoned him. Looking at this painting, one is tempted to imagine that Morikage depicted an imagined scene of himself with his family relaxing quietly on a summer evening.

— Museum description: Tokyo National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.