Cherry Viewing Party

From the Minneapolis Institute of Art record

This colorful screen illustrates a favorite Japanese seasonal pastime, the viewing of cherry blossoms. Within a curtained enclosure, sumptuously dressed men and women are shown enjoying a puppet play to the accompaniment of music played on the longnecked shamisen . Some members of the party sit before an elegant painted folding screen, thus demonstrating how these objects were used by the Japanese out-of-doors for privacy and protection against the wind. Although unsigned, this work reflects the delicate style of Miyagawa Choshun (1683-1753), an ukiyo-e artist who specialized in painting rather than woodblock prints. Choshun was particularly skillful at depicting groups of figures who seem to interact in a natural and convincing manner. Asia