When it comes to paintings of monkeys on bamboo, the Southern Song paintings of monkeys are well known in Chinese paintings. In Japan, there are monkeys such as the three monkeys "see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil" with the Mokkei gibbons as a motif, and monkeys such as "taking the monkey moon" that drowns while trying to capture the moon reflected in the water. You may see us often.
In this way, monkey paintings are often drawn with various Zen lessons, but the monkey in this work does not seem to have any lessons. The gentle-eyed Japanese monkeys are freely drawn in the bamboo grove.
Judging from the state of the paper, it is likely that this work was made in the Momoyama/Edo period, but it seems that the artist was purely enjoying his paintings, keeping some distance from the trends and ideological background of the time. To do. The subtle expression of the hair, the expressions hidden in the monkey's soft demeanor, and the artist's extraordinary talent can be felt in the simple enjoyment of the painting.
I would like you to enjoy it in your daily life with an unconventional mind.
