The art of Japan during the Edo period were highly influenced by the Zen Buddhism; most of the paintings have Chinese influences since most of them were done using paintbrush and rendered on silk scrolls. The most prolific Japanese painter known to paint beautiful landscapes was Ogata Korin whose painting iconography is well-known throughout the world because of the delicateness in portraying the images found in the environment especially the flowers and animals. One particular artwork he made during the Edo period was the Red and White Plum Blossoms dated in the 18th century was a diptych makeshift wooden panel that can be folded so that the painting can be used as a small divider or a decoration for homes. The beauty of Ogata’s painting lies on his wonderful combination of bright red and white colors against the golden background. The highly elaborate foreground compliments with the simple background. Lines were taken from the natural world; hence, they follow the actual images of the objects as seen from the environment. On a closer look, the artist managed to illustrate the illusion of chiaroscuro on the painting through the incorporation of various textures as seen on the tree’s trunk; Alternating swirly lines dominated the entire trunk while patches of green pigments still occupy a minimal space on the stem. Furthermore, the colors of the flowers remain flat; in other words, unlike the European paintings, Ogata’s silk scroll painting remains a two-dimensional image due to the fact that the colors do not portray any three-dimensional volume to begin with; even the tree trunk also appears flat due to the absence of the shadows throughout the iconography. The landscape portrays a serene landscape of Japan; this image was suitable for placing near the alcove of the tea room for aesthetic display to add beauty to the simple Japanese architecture. Furthermore, the delicateness of Korin’s brushwork cannot be seen onto the paper as it remained luminous and yet, despite the age, the painting was indeed a sample of Ogata Korin’s superb skills in landscape painting due to the highly detailed environment. Probably painted during the spring season when the plum blossoms were abundant, the golden background as indicated by Ogata mimics the sunlight illumination on to the woods; thereby highlighting the painting to a heightened degree that audiences even from a far, will be able to see the small petals and patterns of the tree on Ogata’s painting. According to historical records, Ogata initially based his own painting style on Sotatsu, who also worked during the Edo period. The characteristic of Sotatsu’s iconography were based on relaxed lines and illuminated pigments such as gold and red; although in the later years, Ogata produced his own unique style in painting after studying the works of the masters in silk scroll painting. (Museum of Art, 2013). Because of their similarities in terms of style, both Sotatsu and Ogata Korin became prolific Japanese artists in the royal court because of their elegant and picturesque depictions of natural landscapes. (Nakamachi, 2004 p. 94).
Meanwhile, the other painting from Japan dates back in the Kamakura period, the illustrated scroll of Night Attack on the Sanjô Palace created by an unknown artist depicts the tumultuous event in the medieval Japanese history leading to the outbreak of the Taira Rebellion, a chaotic situation which many historians considered as one of the most brutal incidents in the Japanese history. The said rebellion was staged by two powerful samurai clans of Minamoto Yoshitomo and Fujiwara Nobuyori and the conflict ended up in a triumphant victory but only short lived. In this aspect, the followers of the other rival clan, Kiyomori managed to oust the two allied forces and acquire the seat of power in the capital. However, many years later after the battle, Minamoto Yoritomo who was the son of Yoshitomo successfully led a rebellion and overthrew the reigning Kiyomori clan. For the first time, Japan had another form of government called ‘bakufu’ ruled by the Shogun. This form of government would bitterly end up during the Bakumatsu of the late Tokugawa period in an attempt to open Japan from the influx of new culture. (Bowdoin, 2010; Shinobu, 2013).The illustrated silk scroll depicts the violent rampage on the Sanjo Castle; the images of the people’s bodies clad in the samurai attire dominant the entire screen; yet, they were portrayed less in order to capture the distance of the actual battle. Lines were used boldly to depict the fascinating samurai armors of the Japanese medieval period. Colors were polychromatic; meaning, the artist explored the use of different pigments to illustrate the chaos that happened on the city. The rest of the people were concentrated on the left panel of to emphasize the on-going battle between the Taira clan and the allied Yoshitomo and Fujiwara clans. The wavy lines as well as the limbs and emotion of the faces, any audiences can discern the movement of the painting; the highly decorated foreground compliments the neutral gray background of the image. In comparison, both Ogata and the Heiji scroll uses strong bold lines to emphasize the outline of the bodies of the characters involved in the painting; the colors again resembled each other since these images were both two-dimensional perspective; in contrast with this, the summoned of the God to stop the entrance of foreigners in the Japanese mainland. For instance, as a result of isolation, the Japanese became extremely aggravated over the influx of many foreigners which threatened the Tokugawa’s grip over the people and finally dying as a clan. The unequal era brought by the Tokugawa period became the catalyst for the start of the Revolution in the mid-1860s.
REFERENCES
Heiji Monogatari Emaki (Tale of the Heiji Rebellion). (2010). Bowdoin College. Retrieved from http://learn.bowdoin.edu/heijiscroll/
Museum Collection National Treasure Red and White Plum Blossoms and Rinpa Masterpieces. (2013). Museum of Art (MOA). Retrieved from http://www.moaart.or.jp/en/exhibition/201301rinpa/
Nakamachi, K. (2004). The Patrons of Tawaraya Sotatsu and Ogata Korin. In Critical Perspectives on Classicism in Japanese Painting: 1600 – 1700. Ed. Lillehoj, E. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press. Available at https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=FogSFWDe0hUC&pg=PA94&lpg=PA94&dq=edo+painting+sotatsu+and+korin&source=bl&ots=95OP_U01Ms&sig=KQXkPZR7c5HTirROPVSwjoJ2qpk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjlg4P8uKjMAhUJJ5QKHdcWDb0Q6AEITjAN#v=onepage&q=edo%20painting%20sotatsu%20and%20korin&f=false
Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace. (13th century). [Painting]. Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/art-japan/kamakura-period/a/night-attack
Ogata, K. (18th century). Red and White Plum Blossoms. [Painting]. Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/art-japan/edo-period/a/ogata-krin-red-and-white-plum-blossoms
Shinobu, I. (2003): The Image of Women in Battle Scenes: “Sexually” Imprinted Bodies. In Gender and Power in the Japanese Visual Field. Eds. Mostow, J.S.., Bryson, N., & Graybill, M. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press. Available at https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=DbgYcRauQJAC&pg=PA35&dq=Night+Attack+on+the+Sanj%C3%B4+Palace&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi1h4fyvKjMAhUJtpQKHWqDB9AQ6AEIIDAB#v=onepage&q=Night%20Attack%20on%20the%20Sanj%C3%B4%20Palace&f=false
