The world of byōbu screen paintings

Starting on 12 June and running until 25 July, Idemitsu Museum is holding the exhibition Discover the Beauty of Japan IV, The World of Screen Paintings: Transition and Development, focusing on byōbu, traditional folding screens. 

Byōbu were originally created in China to provide protection from circulating air. After their introduction to Japan, artists began to illustrate the changing of the four seasons on byōbu using uniquely Japanese techniques such as elaborate decorations in gold and silver and application of fan-shaped paintings, developing a characteristic style that depicted the differences in time and space. The folding form of the byōbu in particular enabled the artists to literally "bring out" and emphasize the climax of a story or a scene, providing a stage to demonstrate their artistic techniques and abilities.

This exhibition will trace the development of Japanese byōbu through masterpieces of flowers-and-birds paintings, painted tales and landscapes from the Muromachi to the Edo period.

http://www.idemitsu.co.jp/museum/english/index.html

屏風は中国で風よけの調度として誕生しました。日本に伝わってからは金銀や扇面貼付などによる日本独自の技法と四季絵の展開によって、移ろいゆく時間・空間が表された形式へと変化しました。

特に大画面を折り畳んで使う屏風は、目前に主題のクライマックスを引き出すことができる点で、画家の腕の見せ所となりました。本展では、室町から江戸時代にかけての花鳥画・物語絵・風景画の優品によって、日本の生活を飾った屏風の変遷と展開をひもときます。

2010年6月12日（土）～7月25日（日） http://www.idemitsu.co.jp/museum/index.html