Heron on a Rock [right of a triptych of Scholar with Heron and Myna] c. mid 17th century

Kusumi Morikage painted this image of a heron on silk during the Edo period in Japan, around the late 17th century. Morikage belonged to the Kano school, which was the dominant style of painting favored by the shogunate and other powerful institutions. However, Morikage was expelled from the school, and this painting might reflect his attempt to find an alternative mode of artistic expression, with closer ties to popular culture. The heron is depicted in a rather informal and intimate way, lacking the idealization of the Kano style. Some scholars point out that this new mode of representation aligned with the values of the increasingly influential merchant class, who favored more direct and naturalistic depictions of the world around them. To understand this painting better, we can look at the social and economic transformations of the Edo period, paying attention to the shifts in patronage and the emergence of new artistic markets. This will help us appreciate the complex interplay between artistic expression and social change.