Plum Blossoms
A gnarled and twisted plum tree in bloom twists in and out of the curved picture plane formed by the arc of this folding fan. The remainder of the fan’s surface is filled with poetic inscriptions in Chinese by the artist. Although light touches of color appear on the angular tree trunk, the overall impression is monochromatic.
Hashimoto Kansetsu was the son of a painter and Confucian scholar, and it was likely his upbringing that encouraged his lifelong interest in Chinese art and culture. Although his best-known works are his paintings of animals, this fan, painted in a manner inspired by Chinese literati artists, with poems brushed in Chinese, may reflect the influence of Kansetsu’s frequent trips to China, where he traveled south along the Yangtze River, north to Beijing, and even further north to Manchuria. At a time when many Japanese artists and intellectuals were turning to the West for inspiration and models, Kansetsu championed the art and lifestyle of Chinese literati and expressed the need to maintain cultural exchange with China.
Hashimoto Kansetsu was the son of a painter and Confucian scholar, and it was likely his upbringing that encouraged his lifelong interest in Chinese art and culture. Although his best-known works are his paintings of animals, this fan, painted in a manner inspired by Chinese literati artists, with poems brushed in Chinese, may reflect the influence of Kansetsu’s frequent trips to China, where he traveled south along the Yangtze River, north to Beijing, and even further north to Manchuria. At a time when many Japanese artists and intellectuals were turning to the West for inspiration and models, Kansetsu championed the art and lifestyle of Chinese literati and expressed the need to maintain cultural exchange with China.
Artwork Details
- 橋本関雪筆 梅花図
- Title: Plum Blossoms
- Artist: Hashimoto Kansetsu (Japanese, 1883–1945)
- Period: Taishō era (1912–1926)
- Date: 1922
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Fan mounted as a hanging scroll; ink and light color on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 11 13/16 × 25 3/8 in. (30 × 64.5 cm)
Overall with mounting: 45 11/16 × 29 1/16 in. (116 × 73.8 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2019
- Object Number: 2019.420.39
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Hashimoto Kansetsu
ca. 1940
Unidentified artist
Zhou Wenju
early 20th century
Inoue Yūichi
1966
Shinoda Tōkō
1982
Shinoda Tōkō
1984
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.