White and Red Plum Blossoms
Ogata Korin. Japan. c. 1710-1716 C.E. Ink, watercolor, and gold leaf on paper
This painting is one of his most famous works. The composition is rather startling. The white plum tree's trunk is mostly outside of the screen, and one major branch comes back into the screen horizontally. All of these elements are combined to yield a stunning decorative effect which makes this pair of screens one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of Japanese art.
Form:
-It is a pair of two- fold screens
-Color and gold leaf on paper
-Dimensions- 156 by 172.2 cm
-Technique was ink and water color
-Tarashikomi
-Diluting and blending colors
-Mokkotsu
-“Bonelessness”
-Form without any exterior outline
Function:
-To portray a mastery of interplay of forms, execution of colors and texture, and use of unconventional ink painting methods.
-To establish Korin’s reputation
-To preserve and perpetuate the values and characteristics of the Rimpa movement
-To create a piece that matched the function of a traditional Japanese folding door
Content:
-The painting is both abstract and realistic
-The gold leaf background denies the viewer of any sense of time or geographic location
-The stream has an un-naturalstic metallic color, but has swirls that show that the water is moving
-Sharp tapered contour lines gives the work an un-naturalistic upward tilt
-The trees colors and muddy and unnatural and do not have a distinct outline
-However, the shape of the plum trees shows that the artist understood how these trees grew (tangles of branches and shoots)
-Each screen is hinged at its central hinge
-Allows for the viewing of the two-dimensional painting to be seen in three dimensions.
Context:
-Epitomizes Japanese art
-Part of what is known as the Rimpa Movement or “School of Korin”
-The movement is known for the combination of naturalism, monumental presence, dynamism and sensuality
-It was initially inspired by Chinese literature, but shifted to portraying nature and naturalistic Chinese motifs (example: plum tree)
-Although Korin is not the inventor of this Movement
-It was seen a century before him
-Invented by Hon’ami Koetsu
-Painted on screen and fans
-Calligrapher, Connoisseur, and Philosopher
Cross Cultural Comparison:Van gogh's Starry Night
