Three Birds on Branch

Watanabe Seitei created "Three Birds on Branch" with ink and color on silk, and although the date is unknown, we can assume it was made in Japan, towards the end of the nineteenth century. Seitei lived through a period of dramatic change, when Japan opened up to the West and its traditional arts came under pressure. Seitei’s choice of the natural world reflects the Rinpa and Maruyama-Shijō schools of painting. But he also incorporated Western techniques of shading and perspective, learned during his time in Europe. The result is a synthesis of styles, reflecting the complex cultural exchanges of the Meiji era. So, we might ask, is this work conservative, preserving older traditions? Or progressive, anticipating a new globalized future for Japanese art? As an art historian, I’d want to research exhibition records, artists' biographies, and collections catalogues to understand this painting and its place within the Meiji art world. By examining institutional history we can learn more about the social forces that shaped its creation.