The Guest Work - Two Japanese screens rimpa School

Four hundred years ago the Hasekura diplomatic mission arrived in Spain and this year we are celebrating the anniversary of that event. The Edo period began around that time, which coincided with the development of many of the most authentic Japanese art forms, particularly those that depicted urban life. The Rimpa School represents the art of that Edo period, which was not aimed at the social elites but is rather an art that reflects life and society at the time. There are three generations of the Rimpa School, represented by Korin, who created the work in front of us here, Hoitsu, who came after Korin; and Korin's predecessor, called Sotatsu. These three artists are the leading names of the Rimpa School. This type of new art, which thrived in the Edo period, was noted for its visually striking, decorative nature. On this occasion we have only brought painting, but these artists also worked on the decoration of ceramics and lacquer objects. This work in front of us here was painted around the time that the Museo del Prado was founded. This was the final period of the Edo era and you can see the highly decorative manner in which the four seasons are depicted: spring, summer, autumn and winter. This is not just a formal representation of the seasons but the sense of decoration in the painting is a profound one that also aims to express emotion. The National Museum in Tokyo specialises in Japanese, Egyptian and Asiatic art. We are delighted to be able to exchange objects from our culture with the Museo del Prado. For example, the European Impressionists derived the inspiration for their works from Japanese art. I will be very interested to know the reaction of the Spanish public to the type of art we have brought today. The work before you here is from the Rimpa School, painted by Ogata Korin, its leading artist Korin did not paint reality or base himself on a realist approach: rather he limited himself to depicting the motifs that appear in the painting, which does not even include a background landscape. This screen is representative of the Rimpa School, which was primarily characterised by its decorative nature. The cycle of the seasons has always been a subject in Japanese painting and here we see spring and autumn. From right to left the painting conveys the passing of the seasons from spring to autumn. This work is from the Seikado Museum in Japan, which was founded by Yanosuke Iwasaki and his son Koyata. Our collection thus comes from these two generations, whose works provided the basis for the Seikado Museum. The delicate physical state of this painting means that it rarely leaves the Museum. In order to bring it to Spain we have had to restore it and it can now be seen in an optimum state. We are delighted to have been able to bring it here for this important year, which commemorates relations between Spain and Japan, and to a museum of the standing of the Prado. We hope the Spanish public enjoys seeing it.