Flowers and Birds of the Four Seasons
DATA
- Artist:
- Kano Motonobu
- Historical era:
- Muromachi (16th century)
- Material:
- printed, gold on washi paper
- Medium:
- Pair of six-fold screens
- Theme:
- High Resolution Facsimile of Historical Cultural Assets
- Size:
- Each screen H162.9 × W359.6 cm
- Recipient:
- Hakutsuru Fine Art MuseumMAP
[Original]
- Current owner:
- Hakutsuru Fine Art Museum
- Material:
- ink, color and gold on washi paper
DESCRIPTION
Kano Motonobu is the successor to first generation Masanobu, and is responsible for establishing the painting style and organizational structure of the Kano school. This work uses rich colors on gold background. The right screen (shown below) shows pine trees, cherry blossoms, plum blossoms, and peonies. Pheasants such as peacocks are centered on the main screen, flanked by herons, sparrows, and quails. The right side depicts the change in seasons from spring to summer. The left side depicts fall to winter by using browning maple leaves and snow-covered bamboo grass and rocks. This work represents Motonobu's entry into the area of Yamato-e (pictures of ancient Japan), and is regarded as an example of large-scale gold-backed paintings.