Plants and Flowers in East Asian Art

Plants and flowers in East Asia are deeply woven into the fabric of daily life and special occasions, both as real specimens and through their presentations in works of art. 

Since ancient times artists in East Asia have depicted plants and flowers using numerous styles that run the gamut from the highly abstract to the extremely realistic. They also imbue certain plants and flowers with special meanings, use them to express the specificity of seasons, and celebrate the beauty of individual species, whether in ink monochrome or with a full spectrum of colors. 

Plants and Flowers in East Asian Art presents a selection of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese works of art from the Museum’s collection featuring plants and flowers as their principal subject. The oldest examples are a pair of Chinese hanging scrolls from the mid- to late 13th century portraying lotus plants that represent summer while also having deep associations with Buddhism. The most recent is a framed Korean painting of camellia blossoms from 1964. A pair of 18th-century Japanese folding screens from the Rinpa school illustrates flowers and plants of the four seasons, while a Chinese hand scroll depicting bamboo is juxtaposed with a modern Japanese flower basket made from different parts of the bamboo plant. Together these objects provide insights into the profound tradition of plants and flowers within the repertory of East Asian visual and decorative arts.  

The installation is curated by Philip Hu, curator of Asian art.