“Butterflies” 1567 - 1613

Tosa Mitsuyoshi painted “Butterflies,” a six-panel screen, sometime before 1613. The floating golden clouds symbolize transcendence and act as spatial breaks between different scenes. The architecture and placement of figures depict scenes from the Tale of Genji, a classic work of Japanese literature, the characters, frozen in time, reveal emotional states through posture and gesture. In a continuous, circular progression across the panels, notice how the symbolic weight of images morphs, and connects across cultures. The screen presents us with the motif of enclosure, evoking the claustrophobia of courtly life. This is not unlike what we see later in European paintings. These motifs speak to a collective memory, a subconscious echo resonating through art history. It powerfully engages viewers on a subconscious level, forging a bond across temporal and cultural boundaries. These symbols reappear, evolve, and take on new meanings in different historical contexts, reminding us of art's non-linear, cyclical journey.