Fish in a lotus pond

Fish in a Lotus Pond (Renchi Yūgyo-zu) by Itō Jakuchū is a fine example of the artist's skill in depicting an everyday scene from nature in an almost meditative, otherworldly style. Jakuchū was born in Kyoto in 1716 into the family of a wholesale greengrocer, but he later left behind the family business and became a full-time painter. He was under the influence of the Kano influence, but also of Chinese painting and the meticulous realism of botanical and natural-history illustrations; however, he established a very personal style, which was rooted in the careful observation combined with imaginative composition. The image portrays a scene where nine sweetfish are swimming beneath a pond, surrounded by lotus leaves and flowers. Instead of just using one traditional point of view, Jakuchū uses multiple points of view in a single composition. The fish are side-on, and the lotus leaves and flowers alternate between side-on and ‘from overhead’ views, so that the viewer can feel the surface and the underwater at the same time. The palette of green and grey is limited in use, making for a calm, serene watery ambiance, and a subtle accent of colour and gentle brushwork, the fish has an unmistakable vitality. The weightless layout makes the creatures seem to float in an undetermined ground instead of being in a set landscape. Fish in a Lotus Pond is a component of the well-known series of monumental hanging scrolls, Dōshoku Sai-e (Colorful Realm of Living Beings), by the talented Jakuchū, which includes three dozen works that portray birds, flowers, insects, fish, and other creatures. The series was developed in about a decade in the mid-eighteenth century, and has been the result of Jakuchū's long, continuous study of nature. The lotus is also a significant symbol in Buddhism, adding a layer of spiritual significance to the seemingly mundane scene of a pond. As a whole it conveys the sense of Jakuchū's unusual perspective, his detailed observation and his symbolic imagery, creating a sense of nature's extreme observation and deep contemplation.