New Year's Sun and Old Pine Tree, 1800, Itō Jakuchū, Japanese, 1716 - 1800, 40 × 15 5/16 in. (101.6 × 38.89 cm) (image)85 × 21 7/8 in. (215.9 × 55.56 cm) (mount), Ink and color on silk, Japan, 18th century, One of the great eccentric painters of the Edo period, Jakuchū managed the family grocery until he was 40, passed the business to his younger brother, and devoted himself to painting. He developed a unique style of powerful brushwork, fantastic forms, and sharp, colorful detailing drawn from his study of the Kanō school and Chinese painting. The pine and the sun are auspicious motifs in this painting, making it suitable for display on New Years Day.