Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 8
February 13, 2008 (Wed) - March 9, 2008 (Sun)
Fragrant plum blossoms bloom earlier than any other flowers, even in severe cold weather. In China, plum trees were often grouped together with pine trees and bamboo and referred to as the Three Friends of Winter. Bamboo and plum trees were also grouped with orchids and chrysanthemums and known as the Four Noble Plants. Since ancient times, plum blossoms have appeared in literature, and they were favored as a painting subject by literati.
During the Song dynasty (960-1279) plum trees painted only in ink were developed and became popular in addition to the sophisticated paintings in delicate colors, which were produced mainly by court academy artists. Ink plum painting is said to have originated with Zen monk Huaguang Zhongren, who was inspired by the silhouette of a plum tree through a window on a moonlit night.
Later, Song Bojen produced "Album of the Joyful Spirit of Plum Blossoms (Meifua Xishenfu)" (Southern Song dynasty, 1238) that included a hundred paintings of plum blossoms in various stages - from budding to falling - with a poem attached to each of them. From the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) onward, plum blossoms as an art subject became increasingly popular among literati.
Often used to describe feminine beauty, plum blossoms have been painted in various ways. This display features works, both in ink and color, by ink plum painters such as Wu Daisu from the Yuan dynasty, Chen Lu and Liu Shiru from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), and those painted by Qing dynasty (1644-1912) artists including Jin Nong, who was known as one of Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou.
During the Song dynasty (960-1279) plum trees painted only in ink were developed and became popular in addition to the sophisticated paintings in delicate colors, which were produced mainly by court academy artists. Ink plum painting is said to have originated with Zen monk Huaguang Zhongren, who was inspired by the silhouette of a plum tree through a window on a moonlit night.
Later, Song Bojen produced "Album of the Joyful Spirit of Plum Blossoms (Meifua Xishenfu)" (Southern Song dynasty, 1238) that included a hundred paintings of plum blossoms in various stages - from budding to falling - with a poem attached to each of them. From the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) onward, plum blossoms as an art subject became increasingly popular among literati.
Often used to describe feminine beauty, plum blossoms have been painted in various ways. This display features works, both in ink and color, by ink plum painters such as Wu Daisu from the Yuan dynasty, Chen Lu and Liu Shiru from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), and those painted by Qing dynasty (1644-1912) artists including Jin Nong, who was known as one of Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou.
Major works in this exhibition
