Vergelijking van bloemen c. 1875 - 1890

Shibata Zeshin, a leading painter and printmaker of the late Edo and early Meiji periods in Japan, created this album of flower studies with ink and color on paper. Zeshin trained as a lacquer artist and brought the refined techniques of that tradition to his paintings. The late Edo period was a time of social and economic change in Japan. The ruling Tokugawa shogunate's power was declining and there was growing contact with the West. Zeshin's work reflects these shifts. He drew upon traditional Japanese art forms, like the naturalism of Shijo School painting and the decorative Rinpa style, but he also experimented with Western techniques, such as shading and perspective. In the Meiji era after 1868, Zeshin embraced new opportunities, exhibiting and selling his work to foreign audiences. He taught at the Technical Art School, playing a role in shaping the next generation of Japanese artists. To understand Zeshin's art, we can study the history of Japanese painting traditions, the impact of Western art, and the institutional changes that shaped artistic production in Japan.