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Painting Edo at the Arnold Arboretum: Japanese Black Pine

There are two images side by side. The left image is an ink painting. It shows a pine tree with sharp, twisted branches and long delicate needles against a gray background with accents of white. The right image is a photograph of a pine branch with long green needles and brown pinecones, set against a clear blue sky.
Itō Jakuchū, Old Pine, Japanese, Edo period, c. 1796. Hanging scroll; ink on silk. Promised gift of Robert S. and Betsy G. Feinberg, TL42147.7; Pinus thunbergii, 1767-77*B, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. Photo: Kyle Port.

Special Event

Painting Edo at the Arnold Arboretum is a collaboration between the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and the Harvard Art Museums, inspired by the exhibition Painting Edo: Japanese Art from the Feinberg Collection. Observing artworks from the exhibition alongside the living collections of the Arnold Arboretum, we invite you to marvel at the remarkable accuracy and spirit with which artists of the Edo period (1615–1868) rendered their botanical subjects.

In this online talk, Rachel Saunders of the Harvard Art Museums and William (Ned) Friedman of the Arnold Arboretum, will discuss the Japanese black pine (黒松 kuromatsu), or Pinus thunbergii. After Rachel takes a close look at a dynamic painted specimen by Itō Jakuchū 伊藤若冲 (1716–1800) in the Feinberg Collection, Ned will bring viewers into the landscape of the Arnold Arboretum to learn about the live specimen’s unique characteristics.

Led by:
Rachel Saunders, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Curator of Asian Art, Harvard Art Museums
William (Ned) Friedman, Director of the Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University

This talk will take place online via Zoom. Free admission, but registration is required. To register, please complete this online form.

In case of inclement weather, the rain date for this program is Friday, December 4 at 2pm (EST).

You will receive an email confirming your registration along with a Zoom link and password for the program. If you have any questions, please contact am_register@harvard.edu.

For instructions on how to join a meeting in Zoom, please click here.

Though the Harvard Art Museums remain closed for now, we encourage you to take a virtual tour of Painting Edo and to explore the Arnold Arboretum, which is free to visit and open every day from sunrise to sunset.