An artwork on Galleree from Cleveland Museum of Art.
About the artwork
Portrait of Ōzora Buzaemon1827
Watanabe Kazan
Over seven feet tall, Ōzora Buzaemon became a tabloid sensation when he arrived in Edo (Tokyo) in 1827 . His handprints were cherished souvenirs, and his image was sold on woodblock prints. As inscriptions on the scroll detail, Watanabe Kazan met Buzaemon at the residence of a noted Confucian scholar. Using a camera obscura–type device—a tool that uses light to project an image onto a surface—he made this preliminary drawing for a painting. The portrayal depicts Buzaemon’s discomfort in being stared at.
Watanabe Kazan was interested in <em>Rangaku</em> (Dutch Learning).
hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Image: 221.8 x 117.8 cm (87 5/16 x 46 3/8 in.); Overall: 256.8 x 131 cm (101 1/8 x 51 9/16 in.); with knobs: 256.8 x 140.5 cm (101 1/8 x 55 5/16 in.)
Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
In the bustling streets of Edo, the year was 1827—a time when the world was a canvas painted with both color and intrigue. Among the throngs of people, a towering figure emerged, casting a gentle shadow over those around him. Over seven feet tall, Ōzora Buzaemon turned heads and sparked whispers. He was no ordinary man; he was a sensation, a living extension of the stories that filled the air like the delicate aroma of cherry blossoms.
As he walked through the vibrant marketplace, where the chatter of merchants intertwined with the laughter of children, people paused to gawk in awe. His hands, like two mighty oak trees, became cherished treasures; souvenirs that would be passed down through generations. Woodblock prints bearing his image filled the stalls, each capturing a slice of his grandeur and vulnerability.
It was amidst this spectacle that Watanabe Kazan, a skilled artist and scholar, found himself in the esteemed residence of a noted Confucian scholar. The room brimmed with intellectual energy, thick as the ink that flowed onto parchment. Here, an idea took form, and Kazan, armed with a camera obscura—a wondrous device that caught light and transformed it into images—sought to capture the essence of his extraordinary encounter with Buzaemon.
With each stroke of his brush, Kazan unveiled a profound narrative hidden beneath the surface. As the image came alive on the canvas, it revealed a poignant tableau: the daunting figure of Buzaemon, uncomfortably aware of the eyes upon him, his posture reflecting a tumult of feelings. Though revered by many, there was an undeniable discomfort in being an object of such penetrating attention.
In this single moment, captured in time, the story of Ōzora Buzaemon transcended mere celebrity; it became a human tale of connection and estrangement, resonance and silence. Through Kazan's artistry, the viewer was invited into the delicate dance of admiration and the weight of gazes that lingered too long, breathing life into history and reminding us of the profound complexities in the simplest of moments.
About the artist
Creating transformative experiences through art “for the benefit of all the people forever.”The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes more than 66,500 artworks and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. The artworks shared on this platform are sourced from the museum's Open Access data under the CC0 license. No endorsement is implied.Address: 11150 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH, USA 44106
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