Red and White Plum Blossoms

Ogata Kōrin’s Red and White Plum Blossoms is a pair of two-panel folding screens showing two plum trees blossoming on opposite banks of a stream. The red tree rises with angular, almost abstract energy while the white tree curves toward it; the water between them is rendered in a flowing, rhythmic pattern of undulating lines and soft gold. The work is the supreme expression of the Rinpa aesthetic, marrying decorative brilliance with a profound observation of nature.