Early to mid- 19th century

Birds and Flowers under a Willow Tree

Japanese, 1785 - 1862

Born to a family of textile dyers, Oda Kaisen trained as a painter in Kyoto, where he learned the skillful depiction of birds and flowers in a naturalistic mode favored by the Shijö school, and studied the more stylized, academic Chinese-style painting that had been brought to Nagasaki by emigrant Chinese merchants and artists. In this idyllic scene of an egret and two kingfishers among flowers and plants beneath a willow tree, Oda Kaisen successfully merges the two painting styles. The subtle use of ink washes and dry brushwork give variety and texture to the rocks and plants.