尾形光琳は、後代に「琳派」と呼ばれる装飾的大画面を得意とした画派を生み出した始祖であり、江戸時代中期を代表する画家のひとりである。主に京都の富裕な町衆を顧客とし、王朝時代の古典を学びつつ、明快で装飾的な作品を残した。その非凡な意匠感覚は「光琳模様」という言葉を生み、現代に至るまで日本の絵画、工芸、意匠などに与えた影響は大きい。画風は大和絵風を基調にしつつ、晩年には水墨画の作品もある。大画面の屏風のほか、香包、扇面、団扇などの小品も手掛け、手描きの小袖、蒔絵などの作品もある。また、実弟の尾形乾山の作った陶器に光琳が絵付けをするなど、その制作活動は多岐にわたっている。

The founder of what later became known as the Rinpa school (a group of artists who excelled in drawing large-size ornamental paintings), Ogata Korin was a leading artist of Japan’s mid-Edo period. His clients were most wealthy merchants from Kyoto. Having studied the classical artwork of the Heian period, Korin left many works of art that are both clear in style and ornamental in design. His unique sense of design yielded the expression “Korin patterns,” and such patterns continue to have a significant influence on Japanese art, craftwork and design even today. Although his style of painting was based on the Japanese-style paintings of the Heian period, he also drew Chinese-style ink paintings in his later years. In addition to large-size folding screen paintings, he left small paintings executed on incense bags and fans (both folding and round) as well as hand-drawn designs on kimonos and lacquer paintings. Korin's creative activities covered a wide range of areas, including creating paintings on pottery produced by Ogata Kenzan, his biological brother.

尾形光琳の風神雷神図屏風

重要文化財。2曲1双・紙本金地着色、東京国立博物館蔵。江戸文化最大の絵師のひとりとして高い評価を得ている「琳派」の絵師 尾形光琳の屏風絵の中でも特に重要視される作品のひとつ。光琳が深く感銘と影響を受けていた17世紀を代表する絵師俵屋宗達が手がけた傑作『風神雷神図屏風』を模作した作品ですが、極めて忠実に原図を模しているものの、細部では光琳の解釈に基づいた独自性が示されています。「風神」「雷神」は、仏教とともに、中国より伝わり、日本の仏画や仏教彫刻では、たびたび登場するテーマで、「風神雷神図屏風」はこの後も、100年以上にわたり、多くの画家に絵描かれています。

Commentary on Korin's Wind God and Thunder God screens

Important cultural property; Two two-panel screens (left and right); colors on gold-leaf paper; in the possession of the Tokyo National Museum. This painting is counted among the most important screen paintings by Ogata Korin, the Rinpa school founder who is widely recognized as being one of the greatest artists that exemplify Edo culture. It was painted in imitation of another pair of screens with the same title, a masterpiece by Tawaraya Sotatsu. Korin was profoundly inspired and influenced by Sotatsu, an artist who was representative of 17th century Japanese art. Although Korin’s work is a very faithful reproduction of the original painting, its details are based on Korin’s own unique interpretation. Introduced from China to Japan along with Buddhism, the wind god and the thunder god often appear in Japanese Buddhist paintings and sculptures. Screen paintings that feature these gods continued to be produced by many painters in Japan for more than 100 years after Korin.