Artwork
Winter and Summer Flowers
Winter and Summer Flowers is an unspecified painting by the Rinpa school artist Kaihō Yūshō. It dates from 1600 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
History & Provenance
The painting Winter and Summer Flowers by Kaihō Yūshō is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland. The work, dated to 1600, carries the museum's accession number 1987.40.2. It was created in Japan.
The provided sources do not list specific exhibition history for this artwork.
Overview
Created circa 1600 by the Japanese painter Kaihō Yūshō, this work presents three modest vignettes set against a luminous gold field. The left panel shows stark, leafless branches under a pale sky; the central scene bursts with varied green foliage, while the right depicts a bird perched on a curved twig. The composition balances simplicity with a subtle seasonal narrative.
Subject & Meaning
The three panels illustrate a progression of seasonal motifs, a frequent theme in the Rinpa tradition. The barren branches evoke winter’s austerity, the lush greenery suggests the vitality of summer, and the bird offers a bridge between the two, symbolizing transition and the continuity of nature’s cycles.
Technique & Style
Yūshō employs delicate, linear delineation to separate each scene, reminiscent of the margins of a manuscript. The palette is restrained, favoring muted earth tones and soft greens rather than vivid pigments. The gold background provides a unifying, decorative surface typical of Rinpa aesthetics, while the fine brushwork conveys intricate botanical detail.
Artist & collection
Artist
Kaihō Yūshō (海北 友松; 1533–1615); real name: Kaiho Shōeki, "brush name": Yusho (alternative names: Josetsusai, Yūkeisai, Yūtoku), was a Japanese painter of the Azuchi–Momoyama period.
