Sketches from Nature in the Early Edo Period
-
Sketches of Flowering Plants: Autumn (detail), By Kano Tan'yu, Edo period, 17th century
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room T2
September 29, 2015 (Tue) - October 25, 2015 (Sun)From long ago, people have observed and made faithful sketches of the things around them. In Japan, by the middle of the Edo period (1603–1868), the study of natural history flourished and it was considered important to make sketches of plants and animals as records. From around this time, a variety of plants and animals like those seen in natural history catalogues were painted on folding screens and in albums. This was a high point for sketches from nature and the paintings influenced by these sketches. Pioneering works include Sketches of Flowering Plants by Kano Tan’yu (1602–74) and Sketches of Flowering Plants, Fish, Shellfish, and Insects by Kano Tsunenobu (1636–1713).By focusing on the achievement of Tan’yu and Tsunenobu, prominent painters who belonged to the Kano school, the official school of painting for the shogunate, this exhibition sheds light on the period during which sketches added a vibrant charm to the culture of the Edo period.
Current exhibit includes:
Sketches of Flowering Plants, Fish, Shellfish, and InsectsVolume 6, By Kano Tsunenobu, Edo period, 17th - 18th century
Sketches of Flowering Plants: Autumn, By Kano Tan'yu, Edo period, 17th century