Birds and Flowers 1877 - 1897

Watanabe Seitei made this painting of birds and flowers in Japan, sometime between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, using ink and color on silk. It is a beautiful example of the bird-and-flower painting genre called kacho-ga. Kacho-ga paintings were popular at the time because they offered a new way to express feelings about nature. The style first emerged in China, and it was particularly popular during the Song Dynasty when art academies were thriving. Kacho-ga’s move to Japan happened through cultural exchange, significantly influencing Japanese art during the Edo and Meiji periods. Seitei was a pioneering figure who travelled to Europe in the late 1870s, where he was exposed to Western art. He incorporated elements of Western naturalism, like perspective and shading, into his paintings while maintaining traditional Japanese techniques. Historians investigate the social and cultural contexts of artworks through the lens of institutional history. By researching the history of art academies, cultural exchanges, and the influence of different artistic movements, we gain a deeper understanding of the cultural and historical significance of works like this one.