Farmer Returning Home in Autumn1781 · Study 1970.77

Context from the museum

Here, Yosa Buson’s farmer playfully chastises a crow who has come to dine on his grain while his water buffalo earnestly negotiates a swift stream. Raised in what is now Osaka, Buson went to Edo (now Tokyo) to study poetry composition. He later traveled around northeastern Japan, following in the footsteps of poet Matsuo Bashō (松尾芭蕉) (1644–1694), and then taught poetry in Kyoto. He painted professionally, a skill he learned by using wood-block–printed Chinese painting manuals.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

The man keeps his feet dry by crossing over the bridge while the water buffalo pulls the cart through the stream.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected painting only measurement for Farmer Returning Home in Autumn is 46.2 cm wide and 130.8 cm high, equivalent to approximately 18.2 × 51.5 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.35:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.60 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 15.4% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 126.9 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Farmer Returning Home in Autumn in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, Hanging scroll; ink and light color on silk, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 46.2 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?