Early 19th century

Waves and Moon

Japanese, 1783 - 1856

Yamamoto Baiitsu is best known for his paintings of birds and flowers, but his work shows a broad variety of subjects and brush techniques, as seen in this dramatic rendering titled Waves and Moon. The unusually wide horizontal format emphasizes the expanse of water. Baiitsu employed the white color of the unpainted silk as the color for the moon, which is outlined in gray and seemingly supported by the waves; the surrounding light gray wash suggests clouds or mist around it.