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虎図

In this striking vision of a tiger drinking, water is suggested simply by a few undulating lines, with four white dots signifying splashes. Tawny washes highlighted by a handful of greenish splotches indicate the ground. The painting brilliantly blends naturalism and abstraction.

The end of the tiger's tail is outside the edge of the painting, creating the impression that it has just arrived on the scene. Its stripes mimic the wave patterns, and the suppleness of its torso fills the painting with a sense of movement.

The tiger was a favorite subject of Goun's first teacher, Kishi Chikudō, and his second teacher, Takeuchi Seihō, was an acknowledged master of animal paintings.