In this famous painting there are various elements at play. The painting has the shape of an orchard and more so an orchard containing trees, a household and people. The shapes are simple to meet the eye as they are also organic in nature. They are very easy to notice. The shapes go further into creating a strong figure-ground relationship. The painting also has spacing that helps in creating a vigor visualization of the entire compound. Lines and shapes have been used to create spacing in the painting. The many shapes and the creation of space within the painting has made it look chaotic and crowded before the eyes.
The painting looks attracting before the eyes as it is easily recognizable when placed in a group of paintings. However the chaotic and crowded nature does not lead to more analysis of the painting. The lines, shapes, people, trees, building and even Japanese writings makes one feel tormented by the amount of information available. One needs to analyze a lot of information that has been presented in this painting.
Coming from the 100 famous views of Edo which is the modern day Tokyo the painting shows a famous tree in Edo (Andō, 1986). The tree has blossoms that are white when they have fully blossomed. The tree is portrayed by a unique composition and has wide branches which form the fore-ground which is then overtaken by the frame of the painting.
The plum orchard at Kameido is a woodblock painting that is of the Ukiyo-e genre from a Japanese artist known as Hiroshige. The painting was published in 1857 as part of the one hundred famous vies of Edo series (Andō, 1986). The painting depicts the Prunus mume trees in a blooming period (Andō, 1986). The painting has changed hands severally and is currently in the hands of a private collector (Meech-Pekarik, 1982).
While researching on this painting it was clear on how artists are important in the preservation of a culture and history of a society. The artist was able to show 119 locations of Edo at that time through the 100 pieces of art in the form of a series.
- Andō, Hiroshige. One hundred famous views of Edo. G. Braziller, 1986.
- Meech-Pekarik, Julia. “Early collectors of Japanese prints and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.” Metropolitan Museum Journal 17 (1982): 93-118.