Artwork
Kite Flying, Japan
Kite Flying, Japan is an oil painting by the Japonisme artist Edward Atkinson Hornel. It dates from 1898 and is held in the collection of the National Galleries Scotland.
About this work
Overview
Kite Flying, Japan is an 1898 oil painting by Scottish artist Edward Atkinson Hornel, depicting a scene of Japanese individuals engaged in the leisure activity of kite flying, set against a traditional Japanese backdrop.
Subject & Meaning
The painting captures a joyful scene of people in traditional Japanese attire flying colorful, varied kites with long tails amidst greenery and a Japanese-style house, conveying a sense of communal leisure and cultural specificity.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil paint, the work embodies the japonisme movement's influence, characterized by its depiction of Japanese subjects and aesthetics, though Hornel's broader oeuvre includes landscapes, florals, and child themes.
History & Provenance
Created in 1898, Kite Flying, Japan is now part of the Scottish National Gallery's collection, reflecting the artist's contribution to the late 19th-century fascination with Japanese culture in Western art.
Context
The painting reflects the late 19th-century japonisme movement, a Western artistic response to the discovery of Japanese art and culture, which significantly influenced European and Scottish painters of the time.
Legacy
While specific lasting impacts of Kite Flying, Japan on the broader art historical canon are not prominently noted, it remains a characteristic example of Hornel's work within the japonisme style, and by association, part of the Scottish National Gallery's holdings.
Artist & collection
Artist
Edward Atkinson Hornel (17 July 1864 – 30 June 1933) was a Scottish painter of landscapes, flowers, and foliage, with children. He was a cousin of James Hornell. His contemporaries in the Glasgow Boys called him Ned Hornel.
