Posted in Connecticut College, Image

Monkey Reaching for the Moon

   March 25, 2021  2 Comments on Monkey Reaching for the Moon
Ohara Koson is a Japanese painter born in Kanazawa Japan in 1877. This piece, entitled “Monkey Reaching for the Moon” is in my opinion one of his most calming works. The image is of a monkey reaching for the moon’s reflection down in the water. The monkey itself seems to have a curious personality as it believes it can touch the moon through the water, although it is just a reflection. There were two different prints made of this monkey, one with some tall grasses in the background, and this print that only has the tree from which the monkey is hanging from. Because the background is void of color it allows the monkey to be the main focal point of the print similar to his other work titled Dancing Fox.

Artist: Ohara Koson 

Date Created: 1900s

Location: Japan

Medium: Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Historical Period: Meiji era

References

  1. https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/gibbon-reaching-for-reflection-of-the-moon-artist-ohara-koson-publisher-matsuki-heikichi/GQFgsctLhDnkdQ?hl=en
  2. https://oak.conncoll.edu/visual/asian-art/Caroline%20Black%20Collection%20of%20Japanese%20Woodcuts/content/_8915774695_large.html

Author: Charlotte Becker

2 thoughts on “Monkey Reaching for the Moon”

  1. Pingback: Geishas and Animals in Japanese Woodblock Prints from the 17th Century to the 21st – Asian Art and Architecture Image Database

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