Crows in an Old Tree

Crows in an Old Tree

Yosa Buson, 18th century

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Artist: Yosa Buson (Japanese, 1716–1784)
Medium: Hanging scroll, ink on paper
Size: 42 5/8 × 16 1/4 in. (108.27 × 41.28 cm) (image)
Museum: Minneapolis Institute of Art
Rights: Public Domain Mark

Seven raucous crows flit in and around an old tree at dusk, a scene all too common in autumn and winter. In Japanese poetry and painting, crows have long served as signs of the arrival of winter (the autumn season is suggested in this painting by the pink highlights on the tree’s leaves), and, by extension, death. One old folk belief is that a crow’s call may signal the death of someone nearby. Another says that a crow’s call at night is an omen of a fire. This can make them a somewhat gloomy motif. Here, though, Buson’s loose, energetic brushwork lends the scene a sense of liveliness.

Text: Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), CC BY 4.0.

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