Early Edo Period (17th c.)／Color on gold-leaf paper, six-fold screen
155.0 x 355.0 cm
SUMMARY
An innumerable glade of green pine trees almost seems to split the screen diagonally, bringing out an emphatic contrast with the golden space in the top left. It is an unconventional and refreshing composition. Pine trees are often exemplified by the sliding paper doors of Yogenin Temple, but in this piece the leaves are more simplified. Between the pine trees, conifers and white cedar that Sotatsu employed as motifs can be seen, providing a glimpse into the essence of his art. The double cherry blossoms in the top right maintain their thickness due to the unique impasto painting, blooming as if in competition with the cloud of pine leaves, adding extra charm to the whole screen.
ARTIST
Attributed to Tawaraya Sotatsu
Date of birth/death unknown
Tawaraya Sotatsu is thought to have lived and worked from around 1596 to 1645, running an eponymous painting studio in Kyoto. His work consisted of both fan and paper painting, as well as painting scrolls written by the calligrapher Honami Kouetsu. He produced paintings on sliding doors and cedar doors for the rebuilding of Yogen-in temple in 1621. By 1630 he is known to have become a Hokkyo (the third highest rank for Buddhist priests). He sublimated traditional painting motifs and techniques and, with the addition of witty and bold composition and generous decorativeness, developed his own unique artistic style.
List of artworks by the same artist
INFORMATION
Friday, October 8 - Sunday, November 14, 2021
From the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Collection: “THIS IS JAPAN” Eternal Japanese Art Oita Art Museum (Oita, Japan)
Saturday, March 24 - Sunday, May 27, 2018
OEDO EXHIBITION NAGASAKI Nagasaki Prefectual Art Museum (Nagasaki, Japan)
Friday, July 28 - Saturday, August 26, 2017
Edo Period Paintings 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (Kanazawa, Japan)
Saturday, November 15 - Sunday, January 18, 2015
The Quintessence of Japanese Paintings Takasaki Tower Museum of Art (Gunma, Japan)
Saturday, October 12 - Sunday, November 24, 2013
The Quintessence of Edo Period Painting Nara Prefecture Complex of Man’yo culture (Nara, Japan)
Thursday, August 24 - Sunday, November 19, 2006
Treasures of Japanese Art from the TFAM Collection The Oscar Niemeyer Museum (Curitiba, Brazil)
Wednesday, November 3 - Sunday, November 28, 2004
Treasures of Japanese Art Exhibition Kagawa History Museum (Kagawa, Japan)
Friday, February 10 - Sunday, April 16, 1995
Treasures of Japanese Art: Edo Period 1615-1868 La Pedrera / The House Mila (Barcelona, Spain)
Friday, September 23 - Sunday, January 22, 1995
Treasures of Japanese Art: Edo Period 1615-1868 Juan March Foundation (Madrid, Spain)
Sunday, January 26 - Sunday, March 22, 1992
Treasures of Japanese Art from the TFAM Collection Kunstlerhaus (Vienna, Austria)
Saturday, August 10 - Sunday, October 20, 1991
Behind Golden Screens: Treasures of Japanese Art from the TFAM Collection – An Official Event of Japan Festival ’91 and the Edinburgh Festival National Museum of Scotland (Edinburgh, UK)
Thursday, February 22 - Sunday, April 1, 1990
Treasures of Japanese Art from the TFAM Collection Sao Paulo Art Museum (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
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