Flowers and Grasses of the Four Seasons 1567 - 1599

This is a six-panel screen painting, ‘Flowers and Grasses of the Four Seasons’, made by Kano Mitsunobu around the turn of the 17th century, with ink, color, and gold leaf on paper. It's impossible to miss the impact of that gold leaf ground. This wasn't just a decorative choice. Gold was a signifier of wealth and power, and it also creates a luminous surface, enhancing the painted details. Look closely and you'll see delicate brushwork used to depict the seasonal flora. Notice how the artist has captured the essence of each plant. The materiality speaks to a sophisticated artistic tradition, one where the inherent qualities of ink, color, and precious metals are celebrated. The production of such a screen would have been a labor-intensive process, involving skilled artisans in the preparation of the paper, application of the gold leaf, and, of course, the painting itself. Far from a simple division between art and craft, the screen represents a confluence of both. It stands as a testament to the rich material culture of the Kano school of painting and the social context in which it was created.