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Spring Special Exhibition Nagasawa Rosetsu: The Fanciful Painter Saturday, March 12 to Sunday, June 5, 2011  
Organized by MIHO MUSEUM, Nikkei Inc., and Kyoto Shimbun Co., Ltd. With the cooperation of Shiga Prefecture, Shiga Prefectural Board of Education, NHK Broadcasting Otsu Office, Biwako Broadcasting Co., Ltd., and FM-Kyoto Inc. Supported by Japan Airlines
Art should be pleasing to the eye and inspiring. In the eighteenth century, as the Edo period (1615–1868) entered its latter part, Kyoto residents had such expectations of their painters. In response to this, these artists in Kyoto began devising eccentric ideas and competing with bold, new expressions, filling the air of the ancient capital with creative energy. Nagasawa Rosetsu (1754–1799) was among the painters who represented the “renaissance” of the Kyoto painting scene. Rosetsu studied with the great Maruyama Ōkyo (1733–1795) and mastered his teacher’s techniques.
  
Peonies and Peacock
Though in contrast to Ōkyo’s serene and moderate style, Rosetsu cultivated an enchanting, playful manner. With his piquant observations and ingenious perceptions—his bold compositions, novel closeups, lively expressions and movements of animals, lightness added to his teacher’s naturalism, and unconventional visual effects—Rosetsu produced many extraordinary works.
     This exhibition features representative works such as Tiger (Muryō-ji Temple, Wakayama Prefecture), Bull and Elephant (Etsuko and Joe Price Collection), and Cranes Flying by Mount Fuji (private collection). Also on exhibit for the first time is Five Hundred Arhats (private collection), a work that had been lost for eighty-two years. Nagasawa Rosetsu: The Fanciful Painter presents a retrospective of works by this virtuoso from the beginning of his career onto his later years.
Peonies and Peacock
Shimogoryo Shrine, Kyoto (exhibited 3/12 to 4/24)


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