PAINTINGS

Japanese painting is one of the oldest and most highly refined of the Japanese visual arts, encompassing a wide variety of genres and styles. The long history of Japanese painting exhibits synthesis and competition between native Japanese aesthetics and the adaptation of imported idea.  Imagery originated mainly from Chinese painting which was especially influential at a number of points; significant Western influence only comes from the later 16th century onwards, beginning at the same time as Japanese art was influencing that of the West.