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

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

ink, color-on-paper

toned paper

water colours

charcoal drawing

japan

possibly oil pastel

handmade artwork painting

ink

color-on-paper

coffee painting

underpainting

watercolour bleed

watercolour illustration

watercolor

This six-panel folding screen, "Birds in Landscape," was painted by the renowned Japanese artist Shūgetsu Tōkan (1440-1529) in the early 16th century. The screen depicts a serene landscape with a delicate brushstroke and subtle tonal variations. Birds fly through the air, perched on branches, while a serene river flows through a landscape of trees and rocks. The work is a prime example of the *sumi-e* ink painting style. This ink wash painting style, popular in Japan, is characterized by its emphasis on the subtle nuances of black ink on paper. *Birds in Landscape* is currently on display at 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.