Entertainments+of+the+Four+Seasons+in+Kyoto


 * Entertainments of the Four Seasons in Kyoto by Maruyama Okyo and Takahashi Munenao**



Title: //Entertainments of the Four Seasons in Kyoto// Artists: Painting - Maruyama Okyo and Calligraphy - Takahashi Munenao Date: 1700-1799 Period: Edo Period Country of Origin: Japan Cultural/Ethnic Affiliation: Japanese Medium: Ink on paper- hand scroll Dimensions: 11 1/4 x 555 3/8 inches Museum/Collection: Detroit Institute of Arts Accession Number: 1983.21 Provenance: unknown
 * Artwork Identification**

//Entertainments of the Four Seasons in Kyoto// was painted with black ink on paper. It is a hand scroll, a visual narrative, which is read from right to left. The scroll was created by the painter, Maruyama Okyo, and annotated by the calligrapher, Takahashi Munenao, in the 18th century. The scroll stretches out to 11 1/4 x 555 3/8 inches when unrolled and the calligraphy is at the end of the scroll.
 * Introduction**

//Entertainment of the Four Seasons// detail. ([]) Japanese picture scrolls unroll to tell a story about events in history, literature or everyday life. Picture scrolls originally came from China and developed into a unique genre in Japan, often emphasizing human activities, in addition to landscapes and nature scenes. Subjects reflecting Japanese sensibilities and love of one’s homeland—favorite travel sites, activities during the twelve months, or scenes of the four seasons- became the specialties of Japanese- style paintings. (pg. 20, DIA)
 * Descriptive Analysis**

//Entertainments of the four Seasons in Kyoto// depicts the activities of traditional seasonal celebrations in Japan. Each scroll represents a seasons. The top scroll represents springtime. This scene depicts cherry blossoms and invites spectators to take a picnic amongst the flowers drifting among the trees. People ride boats on the river side and enjoy the scenery. The summer scene depicts the night sky filled with the smoky aroma of grilled food and the sounds of wind-bells along the riverfront. The fall scene depicts the autumn //bon// festival where people honor the spirits of their ancestors by the lighting of the lanterns and performing a traditional dance. The winter scene shows families preparing for the New Year by hanging pine branches over doorways to bring good fortune, beating sleeping mats to clean them, and purchasing special foods for holiday meals. Each scene is preceded by a calligraphic narrative text describing the seasonal sights. //Entertainments of the Four Seasons in Kyoto// has a few seals to show the different ownership over the years. Since the scroll has been opened and closed many times, folds or impressions can be seen at its edges that smooth out as they come to the center of the work.

Japan traditionally adopted the writing system of China, and scholars wrote using Chinese characters known as kanji. After the closing of diplomatic ties with China in the ninth century, Japanese writers began to explore their own language and used a newly developed phonetic script known as kana. Both scripts are used in the narrative passages in this hand scroll. (pg. 20, DIA)

Marayama Okyo was the son of a farmer who began his career as an assistant who applied coloring to dolls in a Kyoto toy shop. He was encouraged to seek formal training in painting. Okyo studied with a master versed in techniques of Kano, Tosa, and Rinpa painting, all of which he mastered quickly. He copied master paintings of Japan and started to create "perspective pictures" for a viewing device called "Dutch glasses" (Oranda megane). Okyo became familiar with the spatial differences and one-point perspective of Western painting. A useful customer to him was an imperial prince and abbot of Enman-in. This relationship allowed Okyo access to Yuan-dynasty paintings and Western botanical studies. (pg. 20, Takeuchi)
 * About the Artist**

Maruyama Okyo (1733-1795) uses the Eastern tradition in depicting objects with very little setting. He often uses a single subject with a plain background like in this piece. This Eastern tradition creates a more immediate naturalism with a decorative and reflective feel which is achieved through Maruyama Okyo's skillful brush handling. He used a broad, flat brush which allowed him to load more paint on one side creating broad strokes which vary in paint coverage.
 * Formal and Contextual Analysis**

//Entertainments of the Four Seasons in Kyoto// was painted during the Edo period which was a continuation of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. During this time, an important genre called Namban art, which first developed in the Azuchi-Momoyama period continuing through the Edo period when it reached its full development. This genre was centered around the port of Nagasaki, which was the only Japanese port left open to foreign trade and allowed Chinese and European influences into Japan. Maruymama Okyo formed a school called the Maruyama-Shijo school which combined Chinese and Western influences with traditional Japanese elements. The school achieved a wide following among people attracted to naturalism and painterly skill. His work is reflective of this concept.

//Entertainments of the Four Seasons in Kyoto// is not meant to be an actual depiction of the landscape and people, but rather it is meant to capture the essence of these various places and social events. The artists meant for this piece to be enjoyed by the people who experienced the activities in them and to remember the joyous past times which they look forward to. This concept is similar to many of the Chinese prints sacred of mountains which were meant to capture their essence. An example of this Chinese concept is [|A Solitary Temple amid Clearing Peaks] by the Chinese artist Li Cheng during the Song Dynasty (960–1279 CE). In this piece he depicts the mountains in many different viewpoints in order to show the entire mountain. This idea to show the whole mountain was an attempt to capture the essence of the mountain rather than an accurate visual depiction.

//Text:// Detroit Institute of Arts. Tao the Way: Pathways to Asian Art at the DIA. Retrieved March 18, 2009:[|http://www.dia.org/exhibitions/tao/resource_guide/pdf/resource_guide.pdf]
 * References**

Takeuchi, Melinda. //Privileging the Visual: Part II//. __Oboegaki__ Autumn 1993 (pg 20) Volume 3 Number 2.

//Online Sources// "Detroit Institute of Arts." []

Maruyama Okyo in "Wikipedia." []

Japanese painting in "Wikipedia." []

Japanese History: Edo Period. []

//Image Sources Okyo, Marayama.// Entertainments of the Four Seasons. []

Okyo, Marayama. //Entertainments of the Four Seasons// (detail). Retrieved March 18th, 2009: []


 * Art Lesson 1**
 * Title:** The Essence of the Four Seasons
 * Grade Level:** Grades 9-12
 * Time:** 7-50 minute class periods

This lesson meets the following [|National Visual Arts Standards:] VA.9-12.1 UNDERSTANDING AND APPLYING MEDIA, TECHNIQUES, AND PROCESSES (Proficient: 1 & 2) VA.9-12.2 USING KNOWLEDGE OF STRUCTURES AND FUNCTIONS (Proficient: 1 & Advanced: 1) VA.9-12.4 UNDERSTANDING THE VISUAL ARTS IN RELATION TO HISTORY AND CULTURES (Proficient: 1) VA.9-12.5 REFLECTING UPON AND ASSESSING THE CHARACTERISTICS AND MERITS OF THEIR WORK AND THE WORK OF OTHERS (Proficient: 3)
 * Standards:**

This lesson meets the following [|National Educational Technology Standards for Students:] 1. Creativity and innovation (a & b) 4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making (b) 5. Digital Citizenship (b) 6. Technology Operations and Concepts (a)

1. Entertainments of four seasons: Each culture/place has its way of celebrating the four seasons. In Kyoto during Edo period, people celebrated spring, summer, fall, and winter with activities like … which were depicted by Maruyama Okyo in his Entertainments of the Four Seasons in Kyoto. 2. Namban art: an important art genre that centered around the port of Nagasaki, which was the only Japanese port left open to foreign trade. Maruymama Okyo formed a school called the Maruyama-Shijo school which combined Chinese and Western influences with traditional Japanese elements. 3. Essence of four seasons’ celebrations: not an actual depiction of the landscape and people but to depict the various places, events, and people associated with the four seasons for people to remember and the joyous past times which they look forward to.
 * Significant Key Concepts:**

1. Day 1: Introduce artwork: Entertainment of the Four Seasons in Kyoto by Maruyama Okyo and Takahashi Munerao. Use artwork as a starting point for project. Ask students what they see (people, places, and events) and the feeling they get from the artwork. Discuss the artist’s methods for depicting the essence of the four seasons’ celebrations rather than realistic depictions of specific events, and point out stylistic choices such as brush handling, very little setting. Artworks of similar subject created by artists from different cultures such as … will be used to compare and contrast with this artwork to accent the artistic choices made by Maruyama Okyo.
 * Teaching and Learning Activities:**

2. Days 2-4: Assign project: Students will create a set of watercolor paintings depicting the essence of each of the four seasons. Facilitate a brainstorm about the essence of the four seasons’ celebrations. To Maruyama Okyo, the essence of four seasons’ celebrations is not an actual depiction of the landscape and people but to depict the various places, events, and people associated with the four seasons for people to remember and the joyous past times which they look forward to. To you what is the essence of the four seasons’ celebrations? What and how will you paint them? Like Namban art, combine different techniques such as Western watercolor techniques and Maruyama Okyo’s techniques. Place emphasis on capturing the feelings and moods of the time rather than an actual depiction of an event.

3. Days 5-6: In addition, students will enhance their depiction of essence of four seasons’ celebrations using multimedia technology. They first scan and place artworks in a PowerPoint presentation. This will allow them to add music, sound effects, slide transitions, and effects in order to make the works more interactive, and also for easy presentation to peers. Do demonstration on basic PowerPoint functions: slide background, sounds, slide transitions.

4. Day 7: On final day have all students turn in PowerPoint file to instructor. Each will then be played for the class.

//Assignment Sheet: The Essence of the Four Seasons// You will create a set of four artworks representing the “essence” of the four seasons’ celebrations. Think about our discussion of Maruyama Okyo’s artwork: How are the seasons represented in his work? What stylistic techniques does he use to do this? To you what is the essence of the four seasons’ celebrations? What and how will you paint them? Like Namban art, combine different techniques such as Western watercolor techniques and Maruyama Okyo’s techniques.

You will use watercolors to paint on 8.5 x 11” paper. You will have 3 days to complete your paintings. Upon completion scan images onto the computer using the classroom scanner. Scan settings are preset, do not change resolution, colors, etc.

Once your artworks are scanned in and saved as jpegs place them into a PowerPoint presentation. It should include 5 slides total.

Slide 1: Title slide – include your name, class period, and the date. Slides 2-5: Your artworks – Each painting should have its own slide.

Slides need to have a consistent theme or layout in the background. Include transitions between slides and either 4 sound effects or a song playing over the presentation. Be sure that these effects add to the essence of the seasons, i.e. don’t pick a song because you like it or an effect because it is pretty—try to relate it to the celebration theme in your artworks.

On the final day all of your PowerPoint presentations will be submitted to a networked file so I may access them. This must be done within the first ten minutes of class so that the rest of the time can be spent on presentations.

Grading: Watercolor Artworks: Shows the essence of the four seasons’ celebrations. Style, technique, and planning lend to the portrayal of the theme. 5 point per artwork. /20 Comments:
 * Assessment**

PowerPoint: Includes 5 slides, background slide layout, transitions between slides, and either 4 sound effects or a song. Effects relate to the theme. /10 Comments:

Total: /30 points


 * Art Lesson 2**
 * Title**: Scroll of Your Own Life
 * Grade Level**: High School
 * Time**: 9 class periods (45 minute class time)

This lesson meets the following [|National Standards for Arts Education]: VA.9-12. 1. Understanding and Applying Media, Technology, and Processes ( A & B ). VA.9-12. 2. Using Knowledge of Structures and Functions ( A & C ). VA.9-12. 3. Choosing and Evaluating a Range of Subject Matter, Symbols, and Ideas ( A). VA.9-12. 4. Understanding the Visual Arts in Relation to History and Culture ( A, B & C ). VA.9-12. 5. Reflecting upon and Assessing the Characteristics and Merits of their Work and the Work of Others ( A & C ).
 * Standards**:

This lesson meets the following [|National Education Technology Standards for Students]: 1.Creativity and Innovation ( a & b ). 2. Communication and Collaboration ( a & b ). 3. Research and Information Fluency ( a, b, c, & d ). 4. Critical Thinking, Problems Solving and Decision Making ( a & b ). 5. Digital Citizenship ( a & b ). 6. Technology Operations and Concepts ( a & b ).

・ Four Seasons and Events: There are events associated each of the four seasons. These events and different form culture to culture and are depicted different in the art of different cultures. ・ Sequential Art: The time and place that the different seasonal events and activities relate compare and contrast to multicultural events.
 * Significant Key Concepts:**

//Activity 1: Introduction of Multicultural Seasonal Events,// Day1. Preparation: The teacher inserts each of the four seasons of the //Entertainments of Four Seasons in Kyoto// by Maruyama Okyo and Takahashi Munenao in PowerPoint (one season on one PowerPoint slide); the teacher also inserts each of the four seasons paintings by Norman Rockwell in PowerPoint (one season on one PowerPoint slide).
 * Teaching and Learning Activities:**

Ask students to first identify elements of each season on the scroll and then ask students to identify elements of each season on Rockwell's paintings ([]). Then ask students to compare and contrast the Japanese celebrations of four season with American seasonal events and activities which are depicted in Norman Rockwell's artwork. The teacher will type students answers in the notes area below each slide to record the comparison.

//Activity 2: Research Seasonal Events through Arts//, Day 2 Use the Internet to look for information about Japanese seasonal events and activities and the Japanese painter, Okyo Maruyama and his techniques. Write a half-page paper comparing and contrasting the similarities and differences between Japanese and your family's seasonal events and activities and write another half-page paper about the painter and his art techniques. These papers should by typed, double spaced with 12 point font using Microsoft Word.

//Activity 3: Creating Your Own Cultural Events,// Day 3 to 6 Each students uses pencil and ink to draw the events and activities that her/ his family do in each of the four seasons. The paper size is 8.5 x 11". Students finished pencils should then be inked, using fine line or brush markers and cleaned of all pencil lines and blemishes so that they are ready to be scanned. After scanning the art work at 300 DPI, they will color it by creating layers in PhotoShop. Also, make sure to use 3 different separate techniques to create the art work (water color, pastel, etc). Save the work in progress files as PSD and the completed files should be exported to PDF or JPG. They will have 3 days to complete the artwork.

//Activity 4:Developing Multicultural Scroll//, Day 7 to 8 Composite more than 5 images from the Internet to portray each of the four seasons and then connect the four seasons together to create a scroll that shows the sequence of the four seasons. The scroll should be in colors and have a sequence of seasonal events and use Photoshop to edit to the composite image to make a scroll. The scroll size is 11x17" and the resolution should be set at 300 DPI.

//Activity 5: Presentation//, Day 9 Use a projector to display the scrolls for presentation and critique. 5 minutes for each student.

Total: 50 points ・ statements that are based on the research ・ the correct format ・ free of mistakes ||  || ・ elements of the season ・ balanced composition ・ drawing and PhotoShop techniques ||  || ・ techniques ・ image clarity ・ usage of appropriate tools ・ 3 different effects ・ 5 appropriate images from the Internet ||  || ・Clearly present ideas and thoughts of their artwork, reflect on the strength and weakness of his/her artwork, and manage time adequately ||  ||
 * Assessment:**
 * Grading Rubric || Students score ||
 * Research papers (5pts)
 * Drawing Artwork (15pts)
 * Four Seasons Digital Collages Assignment (25pts)
 * Presentation (5pts)
 * Total Points of Project (50pts) ||  ||