Hara Museum ARC

In olden times, Japanese landscapes often drew upon Chinese subject matter, but the tradition of depicting Japanese landscapes is also an ancient one. The subject of such landscapes were often famous places, so-called utamakura, which served as rhetorical devices in poems for evoking certain images. The latter half of the Edo period saw an increase in interest in actual landscapes and their faithful depiction in paintings. Influenced by cultural developments in China and the West, real places became the basis for landscape painting.
This exhibition places a spotlight on traditional paintings of famous places and works produced during the Edo-period that incorporate new ways of looking, techniques and materials. Placed in juxtaposition with selected works of contemporary art, we invite you to enjoy the expansive range of expression within the art of landscape painting.