Pine, bamboo and plum

円山応挙筆 松竹梅図屏風 六曲一双 紙本墨画 江戸時代
KYOTO painters

Trained in the brush techniques of Kano school painting, Maruyama Okyo established an innovative style as founder of the Kyoto-based Maruyama-Shijo school. Strong ink brushwork and dramatic compositions are combined in his work with naturalistic effects, evident here in the shading and depth of the sharply angled branches and winding screen. Take a moment to compare Okyo's representation of the blossoming plum with the work to your left, a plum painting by his celebrated contemporary, Ito Jakuchu. Pine, bamboo, and plum trees are considered the "Three Friends of Winter" in Japan. As plants that endure winter and revive at the beginning of spring, they are considered auspicious motifs and often combined in Japanese paintings. Here the pine and bamboo are pushed to the right and left corners, as if to assert the supremacy of the plum tree, which sends out its first showy blossoms while the snow is still on the ground. Twisting tree branches project over a stream, meeting at the center.