Rimpa: Decorative Japanese Painting

The theme of the newest volume in the traditional patterns series is Rimpa, one of the major art movements of Japanese painting, was founded in Kyoto in the 17th century by Hon’ami Koetsu and Tawaraya Sotatsu. A characteristic feature of Rimpa is its rich decorative style such as backgrounds with gold leaf, based on the classical Yamato-e style. Simple natural subjects such as birds, flowers, and plants were often used as motifs. Rimpa artists worked in various formats, notably folding screens, hanging scrolls, fans, woodblock printed books, lacquer ware, ceramics, and textiles.