gnarled pine tree with a small waterfall at right; black ink and wash with "clouds" of gold spots

Three Friends of Winter [right of a pair], first half of 19th century

expand_more
Not on Viewexpand_more

In East Asia, pine, bamboo, and plum are known as the “three friends of winter.” In addition to their individual auspicious connotations—chaste pine, upright bamboo, and pure plum—each of these three plants is also celebrated for remaining vigorous even during winter and adding color to an otherwise lifeless landscape. They thus represent the Confucian ideal of tenacity in spite of adversity.

Yamamoto Baiitsu’s paintings show his familiarity with the colorful, detailed mode of bird-and-flower painting popularized by Shen Nanpin (1682–1758), an influential Chinese painter briefly active in Japan. In this pair of screens, decorative qualities are balanced with a sense of order and clarity: the rough bark of the plum provides a textural foil to the blossoms, while the arching form of the pine is mirrored in the flow of the stream.

Details
Title
Three Friends of Winter [right of a pair]
Artist Life
1783 - 1856
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2013.30.16.2
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know

Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.

gnarled pine tree with a small waterfall at right; black ink and wash with "clouds" of gold spots