Peony | Tani Bunchō 谷文晁 | 1762-1840

Tani Bunchō is one of the most brilliant artists of the early 19th century; he was literally versed in all styles like hardly any other contemporary.

Circular paintings are not as common in Japan as they are in Chinese art—when this format is chosen in Japan, one often senses a clear connection to Chinese aesthetics. This element is only discernible here insofar as peonies are the epitome of Chinese splendor in the Japanese world of dance and Kabuki. However, in the case of the artist Bunchō, one can imagine that he was simply considering how he could most effectively showcase a fully blooming peony in a formal context.

Tani Bunchō chose the circular format, but knew that its fundamental problem lay in its lack of inner dynamism: the center of a circle absorbs all energy flows. Unless, that is, one avoids the center with the motif: Bunchō here opts for the spiral inherent in its dynamism, for he begins (using the clock face as a guide) at 5 with the woody branch. This branch divides at 6 into two leafy limbs, one of which unfolds foliage in the lower left, while the other, in two branches, is responsible for the splendor of green leaves to the left and right of the blossom. The main limb then bears the blossom, whose finely structured dark pink center lies neither on the horizontal nor the vertical central axis of the circle. With this free, independent choice of center for the magnificent white-pink blossom and with all the micro-movements of the green leafy twigs, this virtuoso floral painting vibrates without being in any way blocked by the format.