Birds and Flowers

Kano Yukinobu 狩野之信

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The lively depiction of birds in natural settings with seasonal trees and flowers was a favorite theme in early ink painting and a hallmark of the Kano school of painters led by Kano Motonobu (ca. 1476–1559). This rendition attributed to Motonobu's brother, Yukinobu, is in the ink-wash style inspired by the Southern Song painter Muqi (late 13th–early 14th century), which uses tonal variations of ink instead of outlines to define the soft forms of feathers and flowers.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art