Artwork
与謝蕪村筆 柳緑桃紅図|Birds in Willows and Blossoming Peach Tree
与謝蕪村筆 柳緑桃紅図|Birds in Willows and Blossoming Peach Tree is an ink painting by the Baroque artist Yosa Buson. It dates from 1749 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Rendered in ink and color on silk as a hanging scroll in 1749, it belongs to the landscape genre and reflects Yosa Buson's focus on everyday nature.
The painting depicts birds perched among willow branches and peach blossoms, forming a tranquil natural scene. Rendered in ink and color on silk as a hanging scroll in 1749, it belongs to the landscape genre and reflects Yosa Buson's focus on everyday nature. The interplay of avian figures, willows, and blooming peach trees emphasizes the fleeting beauty of seasonal change within the composition.
This subject is consistent with traditional East Asian landscape themes that highlight the relationship between fauna and flora.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in ink and color on silk, mounted as a hanging scroll. This format and material support were standard for Japanese paintings of the period, providing a luminous ground for delicate brushwork. Buson depicts birds amid willows and a blossoming peach tree, combining avian and landscape subjects within a single composition.
The genre is classified as landscape, with the natural motifs rendered through the nuanced handling of ink washes and mineral pigments characteristic of mid-Edo period painting.
Overview
Yosa Buson's Birds in Willows and Blossoming Peach Tree, created in 1749, is a hanging scroll rendered in ink and color on silk. This painting presents a serene natural scene, featuring a slender willow branch gracefully arching over a peach tree in full bloom. Two small birds are subtly integrated into the composition, perched among the delicate twigs, inviting close observation of the tranquil landscape.
Artist & collection
