Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00010983About the Artwork
In the late 19th century, John La Farge was one of the first American artists to take a serious interest in Japanese art. This watercolor was produced after La Farge visited Japan in 1886, where he studied Daoism and painting with the writer Okakura Kakuzō (1862–1913). Here, he employed Western modeling and depth, building the water’s mass through transparent washes of light and dark blue, but also simulated the asymmetrical composition, lyrical tone, and bright blue color palette of contemporary Japanese woodblock prints. Hinting at the relationship between humans and the natural world, the ocean’s tempestuous curls echo the swirls of dense gouache in the imaginary figure’s robes, merging the figure of the “rishi” with the surging waters behind him. According to the artist's writings, “rishi” designates a powerful being who has reached immortality by following Daoist teachings. However, it is possible that La Farge misunderstood the term rishi: Resshi—the Japanese pronunciation of Liezi (列子), is a legendary Daoist philosopher who could ride the wind.
Provenance
1898-?: (Doll and Richards Gallery (est. 1866), Boston, MA.) ?-1939: The Wheelwright family, Boston, MA. Mary C. Wheelwright [1878-1958], Boston, MA, sold to The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1939. 1939-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH.
Exhibition history
Exhibition of American Painting from 1860 Until Today. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 23-October 4, 1937). The Silver Jubilee Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 23-September 28, 1941). The Sea. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 23-October 25, 1950). John La Farge. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC (organizer) (July 10-October 12, 1987); Carnegie Museum of Art (November 7, 1987-January 3, 1988); Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, MA (February 24-April 24, 1988). John La Farge: Watercolors and Drawings. Munson Museum of Art, Utica, NY (February 9, 1990-April 21, 1991); Terra Museum of American Art (June 15-August 11, 1991). Master Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 27-October 17, 2000); The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY (May 23-August 19, 2001); Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX (October 14, 2001-January 6, 2002).
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- John La Farge (American, 1835–1910)
- Date
- 1897
- Medium
- watercolor and gouache over graphite
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 27.3 x 38.9 cm (10 3/4 x 15 5/16 in.); Image: 25 x 33.7 cm (9 13/16 x 13 1/4 in.); Secondary Support: 28 x 40.8 cm (11 x 16 1/16 in.)
- Type
- Drawing
- Classification
- Drawing
- Department
- Drawings
- Credit line
- Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
- Accession no.
- 1939.267
More by John La Farge in museum collections
Open-access museum record · AT-00010983
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