Past Exhibitions
- Paintings of Merrymaking by Anonymous Artists
- March 17, 2015 - April 12, 2015
Long before the advent of ukiyo-e (paintings of the floating world), Japanese artists produced visual records of contemporary customs in the form of genre paintings. Especially notable are early works from the late 1500s and early 1600s. During this period, genre paintings were being produced in great numbers, generating unfettered, vigorous, and occasionally bawdy works. Though the artists who made these paintings are unknown to us today, their skill and expressive abilities often surpass their more famous contemporaries. Depicted in lively brushstrokes, these works show the early Japanese at leisure as they gather under the cherry blossoms, dance, and amuse themselves.
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