Description

Two boatmen with broad smiles pole their narrow boat through a shallow, clear river, past clusters of reeds and dark riverbank rocks. Above them lies a summery, dense green of maple, pine, and cedar, between which several thatched-roof houses become visible on a ledge. On the left, a narrow waterfall plunges from a vegetation-covered crevice in the rock.

At the very top, half dissolved in golden haze, Mount Fuji stands with its characteristic silhouette, calmly closing off the composition. The staging is especially successful: lively, finely detailed elements in the foreground, forms growing calmer toward the middle of the image, and finally the barely tangible mountain silhouette. The clusters of reeds on the riverbank are rendered with quick, pointed strokes and form a fresh contrast to the softly glazed mountain forms.

Notable is the coloring with its warm, golden-ocher-toned background, against which the many gradations of green and the bright blue of the water stand out clearly. The two cheerful boatmen lend the image a lighthearted, everyday quality. Executed as a silkscreen print on silk, this hanging scroll, titled Boatmen Before Mount Fuji in Summer Green, is a friendly, colorful piece for bright rooms.