Mynah Birds,Momoyama Period (1573-1615),Edo (1615-1868) Period,pair of six-panel folding screens,ink,color,and gold on paper
A myriad of mynah birds set against the gold and blue of a shoreline is frozen in a moment in time.This is one of a few surviving examples of the theme of a flock of mynah depicted in the screen format.The artist has created an engaging sense of pattern,while using detailed brushwork to imbue each bird with animated expression.
Though not native to Japan within Eastern Asian literally tradition mynah birds serve as emblems of honesty independent thinking and even resistance to unjust authority.Whether this work can be interpreted as political protest I'm impossible to know,but the unusual iconography focusing on mynah birds to the exclusion of any other creature or even landscape elements,lends itself to such an interpretation.It also dates to the era when Japanese artists were formulating continental modes of ink painting to create their own distinct styles.
Mynah Birds,Momoyama Period (1573-1615),Edo (1615-1868) Period,pair of six-panel folding screens,ink,color,and gold on paper
A myriad of mynah birds set against the gold and blue of a shoreline is frozen in a moment in time.This is one of a few surviving examples of the theme of a flock of mynah depicted in the screen format.The artist has created an engaging sense of pattern,while using detailed brushwork to imbue each bird with animated expression.
Though not native to Japan within Eastern Asian literally tradition mynah birds serve as emblems of honesty independent thinking and even resistance to unjust authority.Whether this work can be interpreted as political protest I'm impossible to know,but the unusual iconography focusing on mynah birds to the exclusion of any other creature or even landscape elements,lends itself to such an interpretation.It also dates to the era when Japanese artists were formulating continental modes of ink painting to create their own distinct styles.