花鳥画

This efflorescent display of spring and autumnal plants and flowers toggles between naturalistic representation and highly decorative design. The gold-leaf ground is echoed in the rich use of gold paint for the veins of leaves and details of the blossoms.

Sōtatsu was the progenitor of the style of painting called Rinpa (“Rin” school), named after Sōtatsu’s later admirer and stylistic heir, Ogata Kōrin (1658–1716). Arguably the quintessential school of Japanese painting, its popularity has not waned in over 400 years.