Deer and Reindeer
December 6, 2011
Today’s post features another of my favorite pieces from the Seattle Art Museum’s exhibit, Luminous: The Art of Asia. I suppose I have reindeer on the brain, but I was especially captivated by the vital images of deer on “Poem Scroll with Deer.” Despite his economy with line and spare strokes, Japanese painter Tawaraya Sotatsu captures the life and beauty of these deer. I also love the combination of words and art — the calligraphy is an integral part of this piece. The Seattle Art Museum owns half of the 72-foot scroll. How fortunate we are to have this great art in Seattle!
Calligraphic line of deer in flight
The repeated images make a lovely patterned design.
Image from Poem Scroll with Deer
Detail of scroll, feeding herd of deer
Rosemary's Blog 
December 6, 2011 at 11:53 am
Half? Wonder sadly if the two halves miss each other.
December 6, 2011 at 4:56 pm
Apparently the scroll was cut into two pieces in 1935, and the Seattle Art Museum purchased the second half. The first half was further cut into segments and dispersed among Japanese public and private collections. Then in 2007, I believe, the segments were reunited during a special tour in Japan. You can find out more about this artwork at this link: http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/exhibit/interactives/deerscroll/enter.asp.
December 17, 2011 at 2:39 am
So simple, yet so effective. 🙂