Sakai Hōitsu (1761-1828),Cherry and Maple Trees,Edo Period 1615-1868,early 1820s,2 pairs of six-panel screens;ink, color,and gold leaf on paper
This pair of six panel screens painted in vivid colors on the brilliant gold-leaf background,is among the largest and most spectacular works by the artist Sakai Hōitsu anywhere,including Japan.Presenting a budding willow and cherry tree in full bloom and a pair of maple trees at the peak of their crimson glory,the screens are distinctive for their array of related springtime and autumnal plants and flowers,all with poetic significance in haiki of the period (seventeen syllable seasonal verse) of the period.While paintings by Hōitsu in the hanging scroll format abound,only a half dozen or so pairs of his screens in the six panel format are known to survive,and these in particular stand out for their originality of composition,strong visual impact,and projection of lyrical elegance-the MET
Sakai Hōitsu (1761-1828),Cherry and Maple Trees,Edo Period 1615-1868,early 1820s,2 pairs of six-panel screens;ink, color,and gold leaf on paper
This pair of six panel screens painted in vivid colors on the brilliant gold-leaf background,is among the largest and most spectacular works by the artist Sakai Hōitsu anywhere,including Japan.Presenting a budding willow and cherry tree in full bloom and a pair of maple trees at the peak of their crimson glory,the screens are distinctive for their array of related springtime and autumnal plants and flowers,all with poetic significance in haiki of the period (seventeen syllable seasonal verse) of the period.While paintings by Hōitsu in the hanging scroll format abound,only a half dozen or so pairs of his screens in the six panel format are known to survive,and these in particular stand out for their originality of composition,strong visual impact,and projection of lyrical elegance-the MET