Rode papegaai op tak met witte bloemen 1892

Matsumura Keibun’s “Red Parrot on a Branch with White Flowers” is a woodblock print that encapsulates the artistic conventions of 19th-century Japan. Keibun worked in Kyoto, a city with a rich artistic heritage and home to many traditional crafts. Kyoto was also the seat of the Imperial court, and artistic styles were often influenced by courtly tastes, emphasizing elegance and refinement. Keibun’s style, rooted in Shijo school, reflects a broader cultural interest in naturalism and the everyday. The choice of a parrot, an exotic bird, might reflect Japan's increasing engagement with the wider world, although it is treated with a distinctly Japanese aesthetic sensibility. The print is not overtly political. However, by engaging with popular imagery it subtly contributes to the evolving cultural landscape of Japan. To fully appreciate Keibun’s print, we might consult historical texts about the Shijo school, records of the Kyoto art scene, and studies of Japanese aesthetics and cultural exchange during this time.