2014 / LACMA Japanese Pavilion / 17th century painting / Thru Jan. 01, 2014

 

Lingering Dreams: Japanese painting of the 17th Century

August 03, 2013 – January 01, 2014

Japanese Pavilion, Los Angeles County Museum of Art

The power structure in Japan changed fundamentally during the 17th century, affecting the arts as well. Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616) established the Tokugawa period (1615–1868), an extended era of peace.

As they recovered from a hundred years of war, Japan’s cities—Kyoto in particular—were rebuilt and paintings of their famous scenic spots and events began to proliferate.

Support for the emperor during a period of political change; advances in printing, which allowed wider dissemination of classics of court literature from earlier centuries, and repair of court art collections after years of war all led to an era of neo-classicism, as painters re-explored themes from the courtly past.

At the same time, the Kano school of painters, led by Kano Tan’yū (1602–1674) during much of the 17th century, established the official school of painting for the samurai class, using Chinese style and subject matter.

 

Los Angeles County Museum of Art is located at 5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036. www.lacma.org