Squirrels and Grapevine

Appreciated for their expressive brush play, ink monochrome paintings of grapevines and squirrels were first popularized in 13th century China. During the Yuan period (1279-1368), such paintings were used to ridicule the Mongol rulers who, like squirrels, occupied high places but lived in fear of people. The inscription of this work, however, indicates that it was commissioned by a Japanese patron in the early 20th century and, its artistic balance between formalistic and realistic concerns creates a heightened aesthetic tension remarkably different from the earlier prototypes.

The inscription reads: