(Butterflies) c. 19th century

This image of butterflies with calligraphy was made in nineteenth-century Japan by Nishiyama Hōen. Its existence speaks to the complex relationship between art and social life. Here, butterflies, emblems of transformation and beauty, are rendered with a delicate touch. These kinds of images were popular among the literate elite, the only people who could have understood the calligraphic inscriptions. As Japan underwent rapid modernization, traditional forms of art production were supported by wealthy patrons interested in maintaining older cultural forms. Hōen belonged to the Shijō school of painting, known for its emphasis on realism and its connections with the Kyoto art world. He may have been commissioned to make this painting by one of the many aristocratic families located in that city. Looking more closely at this artwork, we could ask to what extent it served a conservative function, preserving an idealized vision of the past, or whether it somehow engaged with the social changes of the time. Answers to these questions could be found in old literary magazines, or in the recorded histories of Kyoto’s elite.