Crow Resting on a Tree Trunk – Kawanabe Kyōsai

A crow, a tree trunk, and nothing else. In this striking print, Kawanabe Kyōsai captures a crow in a few bold strokes of ink. The bird stands on a bare, cut trunk that rises diagonally from the lower left, its claws gripping the bark. Its back is a mass of deep black, its breast fades into soft greys, and a single white-rimmed eye gives it an intense, watchful presence. Around it, the empty beige paper leaves all the space to the silence.

The woodblock reproduces the energy of Kyōsai’s brush: the quick, ragged edges of the feathers, the grey washes of the trunk, the knots drawn in a few dabs of black. At the top right, his flowing signature and a red seal complete the balance of the composition, as in a traditional ink painting.

Kyōsai, the painter of crows

Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831-1889) is famous for his demons and his wild satires, but crows were among his favourite subjects. In 1881, his painting of a crow on a withered branch won the top prize for painting at the National Industrial Exhibition in Tokyo and sold for a record price. When asked to justify it, Kyōsai is said to have replied that the price was not for the painting, but for the years of training behind it. He went on to paint crows many times, each one in a different pose.

• Artist: Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831-1889)
• Date: Meiji era
• Technique: woodblock print in the style of ink painting
• Format: vertical
• Theme: crow, bird, Japanese minimalism

Its soft neutral palette and empty space make it ideal for a minimalist or Japandi interior, a bedroom or a study. Discover a very different side of the artist with The Long-Tailed Demon, and more of his work in our Kyōsai collection.