Student Artwork Guide

Name Class Date

inshō dōmoto, Symphony. Reproduced for reference; rights reserved by the rights holder.

The facts

Artist: inshō dōmoto artsdot.com/en/artists/insho-domoto/
Artist’s dates: 1891 – 1975
Original size: 129 x 160 cm
Movement: Expressive Abstraction

Copyright This work is still under copyright. inshō dōmoto died in 1975; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it remains in force until 2045. The image is shown here for classroom reference; rights remain with the rights holder.

Symphony — inshō dōmoto

How big is it?

The original measures 129 × 160 cm (height × width), drawn here beside an adult of average height.

When might this have been painted?

1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970

Shaded: the lifetime of inshō dōmoto (1891–1975)

This record has no exact year on file — using the artist's lifetime and the work's style, what decade would you guess?

Compare with

Solutions of Continuities No.7, 1964 artsdot.com/en/art/insho-domoto-solutions-of-continuities-no-7-D5H45Z-en/
Critical State：Water, 1986 artsdot.com/en/art/insho-domoto-critical-state-water-D5H3XW-en/
Locks artsdot.com/en/art/insho-domoto-locks-D5ETLD-en/

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: artsdot.com/en/art/similar/insho-domoto-symphony-D99JN5-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

Main colour

Gray #888a7f

Catalogued palette

#888A7F
#606561
#B2B5AD
#28282C

Main colour name: Gray
Intensity: Monochromatic How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
Contrast: Balanced How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
Harmony: Discordant Palette How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
Brightness: Balanced How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
Saturation: Muted How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

Symphony — inshō dōmoto

Insho

Artist

inshō dōmoto

Born in Kyoto, Japan

early life and training

inshō dōmoto, a renowned japanese nihonga artist, was born on december 25, 1891, in kyoto, japan. from a young age, he began working under the guidance of heizo tatsumura i, which laid the foundation for his future success.

rise to prominence

at the age of 28, dōmoto's work landscape of fukakusa was exhibited, marking a significant milestone in his career. his most famous painting, symphony, created in 1961, is still widely admired today.

notable works and contributions

* painted over 600 interior screens and ceilings for buddhist temples and shrines, including the notable tōfuku-ji in kyoto's higashiyama district. commissioned by the monastery chishaku-in to paint new sliding doors facing its famous garden. created a large and vivid ceiling painting, blue dragon, for one of the halls in just 17 days. * painted two rooms in the temple hōnen-in in 1971.

awards and legacy

appointed as an imperial household artist in 1944. received the order of culture in 1961. * established a painting school at the age of 45, which still exists today.

explore more on AllPaintingsStore

learn about the nihonga art movement and its significance in japanese art. discover other notable artists like inshō dōmoto on AllPaintingsStore's extensive database.

view inshō dōmoto's artworks, including symphony and landscape of fukakusa, on AllPaintingsStore.

explore the bunjinga art movement, a style that influenced dōmoto's work.

read about other japanese art movements, such as nanga, on AllPaintingsStore.

Where to read more

The artist inshō dōmoto artsdot.com/en/artists/insho-domoto/
Similar works More works to compare artsdot.com/en/art/similar/insho-domoto-symphony-D99JN5-en/
Article Mark Rothko's Masterpieces: 25 Paintings That Define Abstract Expressionism artsdot.com/en/articles/mark-rothko-s-masterpieces-25-paintings-that-define-abstract-expressionism-en/
Article Kazimir Malevich: 25 Masterpieces of Suprematism & Abstract Art artsdot.com/en/articles/kazimir-malevich-25-masterpieces-of-suprematism-abstract-art-en/
Article Kandinsky's Masterpieces: 25 Paintings That Define Abstract Art artsdot.com/en/articles/kandinsky-s-masterpieces-25-paintings-that-define-abstract-art-en/
Article Abstract Expressionism's 10 Defining Masterpieces artsdot.com/en/articles/abstract-expressionism-s-10-defining-masterpieces-en/

Find this online

QR code linking to the download page for Symphony

artsdot.com/en/art/download/insho-domoto-symphony-D99JN5-en/

Cite this artwork

MLA: dōmoto, inshō. Symphony. n.d., https://artsdot.com/en/art/insho-domoto-symphony-D99JN5-en/
APA: dōmoto, inshō (n.d.). Symphony [Painting]. https://artsdot.com/en/art/insho-domoto-symphony-D99JN5-en/
Chicago: inshō dōmoto. Symphony. n.d. https://artsdot.com/en/art/insho-domoto-symphony-D99JN5-en/
Harvard: dōmoto, inshō (n.d.) Symphony. Available at: https://artsdot.com/en/art/insho-domoto-symphony-D99JN5-en/

Symphony — inshō dōmoto

Look closely

Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

What catches your eye first, and why?
Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
Our catalogue files this work under: abstract composition, dynamic lines artwork, layered textures art. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
Look back at Solutions of Continuities No.7 (1964), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.
Themes that come back through the work of inshō dōmoto: key abstract phase, exploration of form, signature style emerges. Which of them do you see here?

Your response

Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.