The Monkey Bridge by Katsushika Taito II
Look first

The Monkey Bridge

Katsushika Taito II · early 1830s

A tiny moon beneath a bridge makes the gorge suddenly feel enormous.

What to notice

Look at how the bridge arcs above the moon while the boats sit far below; scale is created mostly through placement, not detail.

Discover

Taito II, a student of Hokusai, used a famous bridge in Kai Province to build a dramatic vertical landscape. The moon becomes a visual measure of height and distance.

Source institution: Cleveland Museum of Art
Rights status: CC0 / Cleveland Museum of Art Open Access
Cleveland Museum of Art
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