Flowers and birds paintings depicting plants, birds and animals in the passage of the seasons is a large part of East Asian paintings. The genre showed a wide variety of development particularly during the pre-modern period of Japan and thus various groups of talented artists emerged; the Kanō School inheriting the tradition since the Middle Ages, the Rinpa displaying sensibility in design, bunjinga or literati paintings focusing on the essence of the things expressed with free-flowing brushwork, and the Maruyama-Shijō School opening new territory in the field of sketching.
This exhibition introduces flowers and birds paintings from the Sumitomo Collection, including the works of Sakai Hyakusen, Itō Jakuchū, Tsubaki Chinzan and other painters who were active in Kyoto and Edo (modern-day Tokyo) during the Edo Period. In addition, massive and decorative works of Ming and Qing China, which motivated Edo Period painters and became a source of inspiration and expression are also on display, such as the works of Shen Quan.
The rich expression of flowers and birds paintings opens your eyes not only to the beauty of the creations of nature, but also to the underlying feelings and emotions of people who cherished this genre of painting, which can be shared with the present-day viewers.