Tōensai Kanshi is a contemporary Japanese artist renowned for his masterful Sumi-e ink wash paintings, continuing the traditions of this historic style with exceptional skill and sensitivity; explore his evocative landscapes and delicate floral compositions to discover the beauty of modern Japanese art.
This painting parodies the classical Chinese story of Meng Zong (Japanese: Mōsō), one of the Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety, who faithfully tended the needs of his ailing mother. In the middle of winter, Meng"s mother requested he prepare a meal of bamboo shoots for her. His deep devotion was acknowledged and rewarded by the gods as he found copious amounts of fresh bamboo emerging through a heavy layer of snow.In this painting, Kanshi has replaced Meng with a young woman, wearing a straw cape and large hat to protect her from the snow falling steadily in large flakes. Her hand to her cheek, she smiles with a slightly surprised expression as bamboo shoots push through the snow in a ring at her feet.
