New Year Plums and Pines

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New Year Plums and Pines

About the Item

Six-panel folding screen This imposing wall of young pines confronts the viewer, as if he or she were standing within a forest or garden. The wall of green appears unbroken, until one looks more carefully and notices the delicate branches of plum blossoms interweaving themselves among the pine trees. This is a New Year’s screen, featuring two enduring New Year symbols, namely the plum and the pine: plums, since they blossom around New Year in the old lunar calendar, and pines, since they are the evergreen symbols of long life. At this time of the year, young pine trees, or kadomatsu, would be placed at the entrance of homes, heralding good wishes and an auspicious beginning to the new year. This painting would have been ideal for New Year’s gatherings, and likely served as the backdrop for many New Year’s meetings and ceremonies over its lifetime. The painting is also a study of contrasts; part of its interest is the way that it displays different painting techniques in a dramatic manner. For example, the regular, linear branches of the pine trees are contrasted with the undulating, dragon-like branches of the plum, as they wind and turn across the screen surface. In order to make the plums stand out from the similarly colored pine branches, the artist relies on these acrobatic twists and turns. Likewise, the soft cattails of pine branches and treetops contrast with the sharp lines of the plum as they enter and cross the screen surface. Finally, the stylized repetitions of the pine branches contrast with the delicate and individualized plum blossoms, carefully drawn with thick white pigments, in order to make them stand out against the sea of green. Likewise, the mossy details on the plum branches are lovingly drawn, again to make them stand out against the soft greens and browns of the pine branches, symbolizing the energy and hope of newness in the Spring.

Dimensions:
Height: 66.75 in (169.55 cm)Width: 141 in (358.14 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Ink
Place of Origin:
Japan
Period:
18th Century and Earlier
Date of Manufacture:
17th century
Condition:
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
Seller: T-30821stDibs: U110316898823