Make-up Assignment--4/28

I have visited Los Angeles County Museum of Art and hoping to see the calligraphy paintings in the Chinese Art section, but the Chinese Art Gallery was under construction. So I moved on to the Japanese Art exhibition.

The Japanese Art exhibition has a few different category Arms and Armor, ceramics, sculptures, archaeological artifact, prints, and screens and scrolls. Out of all these categories, I found the Japanese screens/dividers most interesting. One of the screens is called Irises painted by Sakai Doitsu in 17th century. It is a pair of six-panel screens, color on gold leaf. Doitsu was the last painter in Rimpa School. Rimpa is one of the most distinctive of Japanese painting styles. A technique is called tarashikomi in which ink or color is intentionally blurred or pooled, and the use of pure color or ink to suggest form.

Since I am interested in the panels, I did a little research when I got home. The Japanese screen panels were originated in China around Han Dynasty. It introduced in Japan in the 8th century and the Japanese artists were highly influenced by Chinese patterns. Through different Japanese eras, the panels evolved in structure and design.
During Nara Period, the original form of screen was a single standing, legged panel. It evolved to a six-paneled screen covered in silk and connected with leather or silk cords. By the Heian Period, instead of silk cords, the coin-shaped metal hinges were widely used to connect the panels. And by early Edo Period, the screens were very popular. Since the panels conveying high rank and demonstrating wealth and power in samurai residences, the panels’ backgrounds were made from gold leaf.