Style Imitating Art | Rooster and Hen with Hydrangeas by Itō Jakuchū

This rooster and hen painting sent me into a bit of styling mania! I was so inspired by the beauty of the colors, lines, and subject matter, that I created three different outfits for this round of dress up. I’m going to focus on just one outfit, the one that I think best captures the feeling of the artwork, but you can see photos of all three right above.

About Style Imitating Art

Style Imitating Art is hosted by Salazar of 14 Shades of Grey, Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, and Marsha of Marsha in the Middle. Style Imitating Art challenges us to draw style inspiration from pieces of art. Every other Monday, one of the hosts, acting as presenter, selects an inspiration image that they will each post on their blogs. The following Monday, each host shares her art inspired outfit. Participants are invited to submit their art inspired outfits to the presenter by 10:00 p.m. EST on the Tuesday following the hosts’ art inspired outfit posts. The following day, Wednesday, the presenter will share all of the submissions on her blog.

You don’t have to be a blogger to join either! In fact, you don’t even have to join but you can still use the art to inspire an outfit just for the sake of trying something different. If you want to share your inspired outfit, we invite you do so on Instagram or any other social media platform that you prefer. Just be sure to tag Salazar, Shelbee, or Marsha or use #StyleImitatingArt so the hosts know you have joined. Go have some fun in your closets and join the SIA challenge next week!

This Week’s Presenter

Marsha chose this week’s art inspiration. Wanting to branch out from her usual European artists, she went a’googling for “obscure artists of the 17th century” and she discovered this brilliantly detailed 18th century painting of a rooster, a hen, and some hydrangeas by Japanese artist Itō Jakuchū. 

The Artwork

Rooster and Hen with Hydrangeas by Itō Jakuchū

About the Artist: Itō Jakuchū

Itō Jakuchū was born in Kyoto, Japan, on March 2, 1716, the eldest son of Itō Genzaemon, who was a downtown grocer with his shop located in the Nishiki food district. Exhibiting an early talent for painting, Jakuchū began studying in his mid-teen years under artist Ōoka Shunboku, who was known for his bird and flower paintings. The strict teachings of the Kano school were difficult for Jakuchū so he honed his skills on his own through observing and sketching his surroundings. These early sketches covered subject matter like the produce sold in his father’s shop, the fish sold at the Nishiki market, and the chickens in his own garden. He also used existing Chinese paintings as a reference in his own works. Although some of his paintings depict creatures he would have never encountered in real life, the extraordinary detail and lifelike appearance of his animal paintings indicate that most of his work was based on his personal observations.

In 1739, his father died unexpectedly and suddenly, leaving 23 year old Jakuchū in charge of the grocery shop. However, he was so absorbed in his artistic endeavors that he completely neglected the family business. Despite his neglect, he continued managing the store for 17 years, eventually retiring in 1756 at the age of 40 when he moved to Shōkoku-ji to devote himself entirely to painting. His younger brother took over management of the grocery store after Jakuchū’s retirement.

In 1758, at the age of 42, Jakuchū began painting his Colorful Realm of Living Beings (Doshoku Sai-e). This was a series of animal and plant paintings that was meant as a memorial to his parents and youngest brother who had all died prematurely. The series of paintings was also an illustration of Jakuchū’s wish for his own future. At the age of 51, he completed 30 paintings for this series with an additional 3 known as the Shaka Triad (Shaka Sanzon-zu). These paintings were all donated to Shōkoku-ji, a Buddhist Temple located in northern Kyoto. These works became very popular during his lifetime, helping to spread Jakuchū’s fame. This series of paintings is now designated as a National Treasure of Japan and is considered one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of Japanese art.

As his reputation grew in the Kyoto art community, Jakuchū started receiving many personal commissions for screen paintings as well as commissions from Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines throughout Japan. Throughout his 50s and 60s, he continued producing prints and ink paintings, but his productivity began decreasing after he was appointed to the important position of machi doshiyori at the Nishiki Market. The Nishiki Market was facing the threat of extinction and Jakuchū took his role seriously as he worked desperately to keep the market alive and thriving. As this new goal took over the majority of his time, he didn’t return to actively painting again until he was in his 70s.

After losing his house in 1788 to the Great Tenmei Fire, Jakuchū moved to Osaka seeking support from Japanese scholar, artist, and art connoisseur Kimura Kenkado. His passion for painting never waned with this post-fire period producing many of his larger works.

Although he was highly individualized and heavily involved in Kyoto’s scholarly and artistic community, Jakuchū remained strongly religious throughout his life, eventually retiring to Sekihōji Temple on the southern outskirts of Kyoto. He continued painting and gathering followers in the temple until his death on October 27, 1800, at the age of 84. He never married and had no children.

About the Art: Rooster and Hen with Hydrangeas

Rooster and Hen with Hydrangeas is a hanging scroll painted on silk created in 1759 during the Edo period when Japan was operating under a feudal system. This time period in Japanese history was characterized by a strict social order as well as prolonged peace and stability, economic growth and urbanization, isolationist foreign policies, and the popular enjoyment of culture and the arts. 

The painting was done in the Ukiyo-e genre that flourished in Japanese art from the 17th through the 19th centuries. This painting is one of the 30 that comprise Itō Jakuchū’s Colorful Realm of Living Beings (Doshoku Sai-e). The silk scroll measures 56.2 inches in height (142.9 cm) and 31.3 inches in width (79.7 cm) and is currently owned by the Museum of the Imperial Collections located on the grounds of the East Garden of the Tokyo Imperial Palace.

Helpful Links

• Wikipedia: Itō Jakuchū
• Wikimedia Commons: Itō Jakuchū – Rooster and Hen with Hydrangeas
• Wikiart: Rooster and Hen with Hydrangeas
• Mokuhankan: Rooster and Hen with Hydrangeas

About My Outfit

The first outfit I created was the blue maxi dress with the blue and gold silk robe. I liked how the colors coordinated with the dominating blues and golds of the painting. Then I spotted this recently thrifted red paisley dress hanging in my coset and the lines and colors seemed to capture the essence of the artwork even more. I ended up creating the third outfit with a different red patterned dress layered beneath a blue floral duster. Again, I thought the colors and prints worked really well for the artwork.

Ultimately, I chose the red paisley dress outfit because it pleased me the most when I placed it beside an image of the artwork. But I’ll let you decide which outfit best illustrates the artwork inspiration.

Let me talk about the outfit I chose to feature for this round of SIA. This red paisley dress is a recent thrift store find. I was first drawn to the colors and the paisley print and it’s 100% cotton which I love. However, the dress is a 1X and is a bit oversized on me. Initially, I had intended to cut the front open and turn it into a duster jacket, but the skirt is fully lined making the sewing process a little more tedious than I expected, so I ditched that idea.

Actually, once I layered the paisley dress over the blue maxi dress, I didn’t mind the oversized fit at all. I did try to belt it to create some structure and definition at my waist, but I was already too hot with multiple dress layers and that belt was just making me sweat more! So I ditched the belt as quickly as I ditched my upcycled duster idea.

Once I had settled on the two layers of dresses without a belt, the rest of the outfit came together easily. I added a pile of three thrifted necklaces in coordinating colors and my leopard print earrings that I found at a flea market years ago. The leopard print on the wooden earrings so closely resemble the mottling on the rooster and hen feathers, making them an obvious choice. My blue and tan cowgirl boots also coordinated wonderfully with the color palette of my outfit and the artwork, but they also contributed to my overheating issue. It’s been such a hot and humid summer, hasn’t it?

Finally, my rooster brooch took center stage right in the middle of my brown straw fedora! If I only had a matching hen brooch to pair with it. I’ll be on the lookout for one now!

Which outfit is your favorite? Which do you think represents the artwork best?

I hope you all have enjoyed this round of Style Imitating Art. Be sure to check out how Marsha and Salazar have styled their outfits inspired by this gorgeous silk painting. If you want to play along and create your own art inspired outfit, please submit your photos to Marsha (mlrbanks57@gmail.com) by 10:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, and she will feature your outfit in her style gallery on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.

Until then, happy styling! 

Keeping it on the edge, 

Shelbee