Rooster and Hen

Rather than adhering to prevailing Chinese-inspired canons of scholar painting, several late Edo-period Japanese masters including Kinryo experimented with European traditions and realist styles, which they encountered through original oil paintings and engraved books available from the small colony of resident Dutch traders in Japan. This innovative school of Japanese art and thought, collectively called Dutch Learning (and by extension "Western Learning") is well exemplified in this colorful hanging scroll: the poses of the rooster and hen, the rich colors of the birds and their natural setting, and the attention to finely drawn descriptive details all lend a realist clarity to the scene.