Birds in Landscape [left of a pair] by Shūgetsu Tōkan

Birds in Landscape [left of a pair] c. early 16th century

ink, color-on-paper

toned paper

water colours

ink painting

etching

japan

handmade artwork painting

ink

color-on-paper

wooden interior design

coffee painting

watercolour bleed

watercolour illustration

watercolor

This six-panel screen, created by the renowned Japanese artist Shūgetsu Tōkan (1440-1529) in the early 16th century, depicts a serene landscape populated with delicate birds. The minimalist composition, painted with ink and color on silk, showcases the artist's masterful brushwork in capturing the graceful forms of the birds amidst the delicate foliage and the ethereal landscape. This screen is a prime example of the Japanese **Surimono** tradition, where nature is depicted in a stylized yet elegant way, highlighting the delicate balance between the natural world and human perception. It is housed in the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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This pair of screens show a variety of birds among trees and flowers, a popular painting subject in the 1500s. At right, a horned owl in the far upper corner watches a boisterous scene below from his perch in the branches of a pine tree: a pair of hawks have zeroed in on a pair of white herons who run for cover toward lotuses and reeds. The left screen also features pairs of birds, including geese, cranes, and crested mynas among bamboo and a plum tree. Although the screens are not signed by the artist, the later painter Kano Yasunobu (1614–1685) wrote inscriptions on the outside edge of each screen assigning them to Shūgetsu Tōkan, a Zen priest and painter active 100 years earlier.