Confederate Rose c. 1818 - 1829

print, paper, watercolor, ink

ink paper printed

print

asian-art

ukiyo-e

japan

paper

watercolor

ink

watercolour bleed

watercolour illustration

botanical art

Matsumura Keibun created this delicate image of a Confederate Rose with ink and color on paper, currently held at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The composition is immediately striking for its considered arrangement of text and image on a unified plane. Note how the soft pink of the flower contrasts with the dark calligraphic text and the sharp, verdant green of the leaves, creating a visual rhythm across the surface. The rose itself is rendered with a subtle gradient, adding a sense of volume without disrupting the overall flatness characteristic of Japanese prints. This tension between flatness and depth, line and color, speaks to a sophisticated understanding of pictorial space. It invites us to consider how Keibun balances formal elements to achieve harmony and expressiveness within the constraints of the medium. The result is a work that delicately marries precision with gentle softness.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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Matsumura Keibun was one of the leading artists of the Shijø school, which was established by Matsumura Goshun (1752-1811), his older brother and mentor. Keibun's paintings, most of which depict birds and flowers, are marked by soft brushwork and a close attention to naturalistic detail, characteristics common among the Shijø school artists. In his native city of Kyoto, Keibun designed a number of surimono prints for local poetry societies, including this one. The poets submitted fifteen haiku poems on the topic of autumn and Keibun depicted a spray of confederate rose, which blooms in early autumn. A large flower and a small bud are printed in gradated pink tones. Delicately embossed lines, representing the veins of the petals, are the work of a highly skilled carver and printer.