墨梅図|Ink Plum

Heisen (Byōsen) Myōshitsu

15th century · Pair of hanging scrolls; ink on paper · Asian Art

Symbolic of the arrival of spring, plum blossoms were a frequent subject in Japanese seasonal poetry. Following the introduction of Chinese ink works to Japan, the motif became popular among Zen painters. Each of these hanging scrolls bears the crimson seal of the monk-painter Byōsen Myōshitsu. In the work on the left, areas of uninked paper represent a layer of snow, through which the blossoms on the branch are beginning to emerge. Rendered in sweeping strokes of dark ink, the plum branch on the right is in full bloom.

Artist

Heisen (Byōsen) Myōshitsu

Date

15th century

Medium

Pair of hanging scrolls; ink on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2018