Artwork preview

Fish in a Whirlpool

Kawanabe Kyōsai 河鍋暁斎

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The painting depicts two large fish and several small fish in a whirlpool. The fish are gray with darker heads, white eyes with black pupils, and lighter-colored fins and tails. The large fish are positioned in the center of the image, with their bodies curved to follow the spiral shape of the whirlpool. The small fish are scattered throughout the image, some near the surface and others deeper in the water. The whirlpool is depicted as a series of concentric, wavy lines that spiral outward from the center of the image. The background of the painting is a light gray color, representing water. There is a gold border around the edge of the painting. In the bottom-right corner, there is a red seal with Japanese characters and some black Japanese characters to the left of it.

Artwork Details

Date
ca. 1887
Medium
Album leaf; ink and color on silk
Culture
Japan
Dimensions
477 × 624 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original
Palette