Brief Overview of Japanese Painting
Distinctively Evolved Fine Art of Japan
Japanese painting is the fine art of Japan, which is the picture or design executed in paints, or the works of art painted in traditional Japanese manner. In Japanese painting, there are many styles and genres of visual art in each period of time, while the fundamental of aesthetics is based on the common practices from more than thousand years ago. Famous traditional Japanese painting styles are “Kanou-style”, “Enzan-Shijou-style”, and “Yamatoe-style”.
Mutually influencing with Chinese and Western Paintings
In the longtime development of Japanese painting, Chinese culture and practices had been influencing a lot, such as Buddhist religious painting, ink-wash painting of landscape, and calligraphy of ideographs. Japanese painting always absorb and digest them to recreate totally original Japanese style. From the late 16th century onwards, uniquely evolved Japanese paintings and aesthetics were imported to European countries, and many artists in Europe were influenced by them.
Japanese Painting is Keep on Evolving
One of the biggest characteristics of Japanese painting is the depiction of scenes from daily life and narrative scenes that are often crowded with figures and details. This traditional style passed down up to now in Japanese fine arts, even to recent “Manga” and “Anime”.
In Japan, there are 158 works of National Treasure of Japanese Painting from 8th century to 19th century. These very rare survivals from early periods represents the transition of Japanese painting.
(Encyclopedia Japan)
Hokusai 葛飾北斎
Hokusai selfportrait Image source:Wikimedia
Hokusai selfportrait at 83 Image source:Wikimedia
Katsushika Hokusai (1760 – May 10, 1849) was an Edo period Japanese artist, painter, wood engraver and maker of ukiyo-e, author of the 13-volume sketchbook Hokusai manga (begun in 1814) and the block prints Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, (created around 1823–1829), which includes In the Hollow of a Wave off the Coast at Kanagawa. He is still considered one of the outstanding figures of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world;" pictures of the transient pleasure-seeking world of theaters, restaurants, teahouses, courtesans, and geishas) school of printmaking. During his life, Hokusai produced over thirty thousand book illustrations, theater programs, paintings, and color prints. His best work was produced when he was over 50 years old, and he continued to create beautiful prints until his death at the age of 89. (New World Encyclopedia)
Katsushika Hokusai Hokusai, in full Katsushika Hokusai, professional names Shunrō, Sōri, Kakō, Taito, Gakyōjin, Iitsu, and Manji (born October 1760, Edo [now Tokyo], Japan—died May 10, 1849, Edo), Japanese master artist and printmaker of the ukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating world”) school. His early works represent the full spectrum of ukiyo-e art, including single-sheet prints of landscapes and actors, hand paintings, and surimono (“printed things”), such as greetings and announcements. Later he concentrated on the classical themes of the samurai and Chinese subjects. His famous print series “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji,” published between 1826 and 1833, marked the summit in the history of the Japanese landscape print (see photograph). (Encyclopædia Britannica)
Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎, Katsushika Hokusai? 1760–May 10, 1849) was a Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter and printmaker of the Edo period. In his time he was Japan's leading expert on Chinese painting. Born in Edo (now Tokyo), Hokusai is best-known as author of the woodblock print series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (c. 1831) which includes the iconic and internationally recognized print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa, created during the 1820s. Hokusai created the "Thirty-Six Views" both as a response to a domestic travel boom and as part of a personal obsession with Mount Fuji. It was this series, specifically The Great Wave print and Fuji in Clear Weather, that secured Hokusai’s fame both within Japan and overseas. As historian Richard Lane concludes, “Indeed, if there is one work that made Hokusai's name, both in Japan and abroad, it must be this monumental print-series...” While Hokusai's work prior to this series is certainly important, it was not until this series that he gained broad recognition and left a lasting impact on the art world. It was The Great Wave print that initially received, and continues to receive, acclaim and popularity in the Western world. (www.katsushikahokusai.org)
Left: The Great Wave off Kanagawa Kanagawa oki nami ura 『神奈川沖浪裏』
Hokusai's most famous print "In the Hollow of a Wave off the Coast at Kanagawa" (from Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji) by Katsushika Hokusai.
Color woodcut, 10 × 15 inches; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Right: Fine Wind, Clear Morning Gaifū kaisei. 『凱風快晴』（通称：赤富士
From Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji 『冨嶽三十六景』
The Kanō school (狩野派 Kanō-ha) is one of the most famous schools of Japanese painting. The Kanō school of painting was the dominant style of painting from the late 15th century until the Meiji period which began in 1868, by which time the school had divided into many different branches. The Kanō family itself produced a string of major artists over several generations, to which large numbers of unrelated artists trained in workshops of the school can be added. Some artists married into the family and changed their names, and others were adopted. According to the historian of Japanese art Robert Treat Paine, "another family which in direct blood line produced so many men of genius ... would be hard to find". (Wikipedia)
Kanō Motonobu (狩野 元信, 1476 – 1559) was a Japanese painter. He was a member of the Kanō school of painting. Through his political connections, patronage, organization, and influence he was able to make the Kano school into what it is today. The system was responsible for the training of a great majority of painters throughout the Edo period (1615–1868). After his death, he was referred to as Kohōgen (古法眼). (Wikipedia)
Kanō Motonobu, (1476 — 1559), great master of Japanese painting. Like his father, Masanobu, the first of the Kanō painters, Motonobu served the Ashikaga shoguns (a family of military rulers who governed Japan from 1338 to 1573) and inherited the Chinese-inspired monochromatic ink-painting style (suiboku-ga, “water-ink painting”) favoured by the Ashikagas. Motonobu, however, was also the son-in-law of Tosa Mitsunobu, founder of the Tosa school of painting specializing in the native Yamato-e (Japanese Painting) style, and he effected a compromise by combining the strong brushwork of the Chinese suiboku-ga with the decorative appeal of the Yamato-e. The resulting style was especially suitable for large-scale compositions and practically dominated Japanese painting for the next 300 years. (Encyclopædia Britannica)
Kanō Eitoku (狩野 永徳, 1543 – 1590) was a Japanese painter who lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama period of Japanese history and one of the most prominent patriarchs of the Kanō school of Japanese painting. (Wikipedia)
Kanō Eitoku, (1543 - 1590, Kyōto), fifth-generation scion of the famous Kanō family of Japanese artists who created the style of the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1574–1600) screen paintings.
The grandson of Kanō Motonobu, who had established the aesthetic canons of the Kanō school, Eitoku made the Kanō style yet more monumental and gorgeous by introducing a gold-leaf ground, upon which he applied brighter colours and heavier black-ink outlines. (Encyclopædia Britannica)
Kanō Sanraku (狩野 山楽, 1559 – 1635) was a Japanese painter also known as Kimura Heizō (his birth name), Shūri, Mitsuyori, and Sanraku. Sanraku's works combine the forceful quality of Momoyama work with the tranquil depiction of nature, and they have a more refined use of color typical of the Edo period. (Wikipedia)
Kanō Sanraku (1559 - 1635), sixth-generation member of the famous Kanō family of painters to the Japanese shoguns.
He produced some of the greatest screen paintings of the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1574–1600). Sanraku was the disciple and adopted son of the leading painter of the day, Kanō Eitoku, and like him excelled in large-scale decorative designs executed in bold, sweeping lines and brilliant colours against gold-leaf backgrounds. (Encyclopædia Britannica)
Kanō Sansetsu (狩野 山雪, 1589–1651) was a Japanese painter also known as Kanō Heishiro. He was born in Hizen Province, Kyūshū, and died in Kyoto.
Sansetsu was apprenticed to Kanō Sanraku, married his daughter, and was adopted by him after the death of Sanraku's eldest son. Sansetsu became the leader of the Kanō school. (Wikipedia)
Kanō Einō (狩野 永納, 1631–1697) was a Japanese painter of the Kyō-ganō (ja) sub-school of the Kanō school of painting. He became head of the Kyō-ganō upon the death of his father Kanō Sansetsu, and his grandfather was the Kyō-ganō's founder Kanō Sanraku. Einō compiled the Honchō Gashi (本朝畫史, "Japanese painting history"), the earliest serious art-historical work in Japan. (Wikipedia)
Kanō Motonobu
Patriarchs of Zen Buddhism
Sanping baring his chest and Shigong stretching his bow (石鞏張弓).
Panel from Daisen-in temple - Tokyo National Museum
It depicts a story about a Chinese monk. Sanping Yizong (三平義忠 781–872). Sanping Yizhong was a disciple of Master Dadian Baotong who taught in Shaozhou in the far south (near Caoxi). After training with Master Dadian, the young Yizhong traveled to refine himself among many teachers. Once he visited Master Shigong Huizang (石鞏慧藏), the disciple of Mazu who had been a hunter before becoming a monk. Master Shigong had a fierce reputation and was known to greet his visitors by aiming a bow and arrow at them. When Yizhong arrived before the master, he was greeted in this way. As the master drew back his arrow, Yizhong opened his robe, bared his chest, and said, “Is that an arrow to kill people or to give them life?” Shigong lowered the bow and said, “After thirty years of drawing a bow and searching for someone, I’ve finally met half a sage.” Then he broke his bow...
"Birds and flowers of the four seasons" (四季花鳥図屏風（しきかちょうずびょうぶ) by Kanō Motonobu
Byobu screen.
Current location: Hakutsuru Fine Art Museum (白鶴美術館)
Kanō Eitoku
Cypress Trees 檜図 by Kanō Eitoku
By Kano Eitoku, 170.0ｘ230.4 each. Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1590) National Treasure
"Plum Tree" by Kanō Eitoku and his father Kanō Shōei (狩野松栄)
Part of Birds and flowers of the four seasons (花鳥図のうち)
Painted on fusuma panels. Four from a set of sixteen sliding room partitions in the abbot's quarters (hōjō) (方丈障壁画, hōjō shōhekiga) of Jukō-in (聚光院) of Daitoku-ji (大徳寺), Kyoto, Japan. Ink on paper. This picture shows four of 16 panels on fusuma (sliding doors) in the in the ritual room (室中). The paintings have been designated as National Treasure of Japan in the category paintings..
Chinese Lions (Karajishi) 唐獅子図屏風（からじしずびょうぶ うせき） by Kanō Eitoku
Dimensions: 88 x 178 cm
Current location: Museum of the Imperial Collections (三の丸尚蔵館)
"Birds and flowers of the four seasons" (四季花鳥図) by Kanō Eitoku
Left: Flowers and Birds of the Four Seasons, Peafowl by Kanō Eitoku
16th century, color on paper with gold leaves, 164.5 x 359.0 cm
Current location: Hakutsuru Fine Art Museum (白鶴美術館) Right: Flowers and Birds of the Four Seasons, Phoenix birds
Painted by Motonobu Kano, Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk
16th century, color on paper with gold leaves, 164.5 x 359.0 cm
Current location: Hakutsuru Fine Art Museum (白鶴美術館)
"Birds and flowers of the four seasons" (四季花鳥図) by Kanō Eitoku
Left: Flowers and Birds of the Four Seasons by Kanō Eitoku
Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, gold, and gold leaf on paper
Dimensions: Image: 63 1/4 x 142 in. (160.7 x 360.7 cm)
Current location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Right: Flowers and Birds of the Four Seasons
Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, gold, and gold leaf on paper
Dimensions:Image: 63 1/4 x 142 in. (160.7 x 360.7 cm)
Current location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Kanō Sanraku
Plum tree 紅梅図襖 by Kanō Sanraku
Set of sliding doors, early 17th centurye
Current location: Daikaku-ji Buddhist temple in Kyoto（大覚寺宸殿障壁画）
"Chinese Lion", by Kano Sanraku.
Four-panel folding screen; ink, colors, and gold on paper.
Current location: Kyoto National Museum (Honpō-ji Temple, Kyoto)
'Dragon and Tiger' 龍虎図屏風 by Kano Sanraku
Pair of screens, each 1.78 x 3.57 metres, 17th century
Current location: 妙心寺
Kanō Sansetsu
Old Plum 老梅図襖 by Kanō Sansetsu
Four sliding-door panels (fusuma); ink, color, gold, and gold leaf on paper, Edo period (1646)
Current location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Frolicking Birds in Plum and Willow Trees 梅に遊禽図 by by Kanō Sansetsu
The second upper room of Tenkyuin Subtemple holds eight sliding doors comprising a total of 18 painted panels depicting mountain birds and pheasants on a plum tree. Of these 18 panels, ten are wooden sliding doors depicting mainly a willow and white herons. The depictions span the spring and winter seasons. Of the paintings on the Sliding Panels in the Abbot's Chambers of Tenkyuin Subtemple, the most notable are the well-known Plum Blossoms and Frolicking Birds (four of the panels on the north side). This very interesting composition, illustrating the trunk of the plum trees wending its way upward and downward, seems to presage the masterpiece of later years, Sansetsu's The Old Plum that was painted in sliding doors in Tenshoin Subtemple, which is now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in United States.
Current location: Tenkyuin Temple, a subtemple of Myoshinji Temple 天球院方丈障壁画
Birds and Flowers of Spring and Summer 春夏花鳥図屏風（左隻) by Kanō Einō
byōbu folding screen, Height: 1,530 mm (60.24 in). Width: 3,610 mm (142.13 in).
Edo period (latter half of 17th century)
Current location: Suntory Museum of Art
One Hundred Boys by Kanō Einō
Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, and gold on paper
Dimensions: Image (each screen): 44 7/8 x 111 in. (114 x 282 cm)
Current location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Bijin-ga (美人画, "Beautiful women picture") is a generic term for pictures of beautiful women in Japanese art, especially in woodblock printing of the ukiyo-e genre, which predate photography.
Ukiyo-e is a genre of woodblock prints and paintings that was produced in Japan from the 17th century to the 19th century. These woodblock prints depicted beautiful women; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales; travel scenes and landscapes; flowers and animals and erotica. The prints were very popular amongst the Japanese merchants and the middle class of the time.
Nearly all ukiyo-e artists produced bijin-ga, it being one of the central themes of the genre. However, a few, including Utamaro, Suzuki Harunobu, Itō Shinsui, Toyohara Chikanobu, Uemura Shōen and Torii Kiyonaga, are widely regarded as the greatest innovators and masters of the form.
By Kitagawa Utamaro (喜多川 歌麿 1753–1806)
Kitagawa Utamaro was a Japanese artist. He is one of the most highly regarded designers of ukiyo-e woodblock prints and paintings, and is best known for his bijin ōkubi-e "large-headed pictures of beautiful women" of the 1790s. He also produced nature studies, particularly illustrated books of insects.
Left: Utamaro's Fukaku Shinobu Koi (c. 1793–94)
Set an auction record of €745000 in 2016. Right: Ase o fuku onna (汗を拭く女, Woman Wiping Sweat)
Print shows a head-and-shoulders portrait of a young woman wiping her face.
Print : woodcut, color. Ukiyo-e, 1798
Note: The Japanese script on the work says 歌麿筆 (Utamaro hitsu), which is the signature of the artist.
By Suzuki Harunobu (Japanese: 鈴木 春信; c. 1725 – 15 July 1770)
Suzuki Harunobu was a Japanese designer of woodblock print artist in the Ukiyo-e style. He was an innovator, the first to produce full-color prints (nishiki-e) in 1765, rendering obsolete the former modes of two- and three-color prints. Harunobu used many special techniques, and depicted a wide variety of subjects, from classical poems to contemporary beauties. Like many artists of his day, Harunobu also produced a number of shunga, or erotic images. During his lifetime and shortly afterwards, many artists imitated his style. A few, such as Harushige, even boasted of their ability to forge the work of the great master. Much about Harunobu's life is unknown.
Left: Woman Visiting the Shrine in the Night 雨夜の宮詣
27.6x20.5. Edo period, 18th century
Current location: Tokyo National Museum Right: Woman Admiring Plum Blossoms at Night
In this print, one of Harunobu's most poetic images, a nymphlike beauty dressed in an elegant kimono stands holding a lantern and gazing dreamily at the plum blossoms. The image of admiring plum blossoms at night is a classical theme in the East Asian poetic tradition, and Harunobu's lyrical rendition has much in common with the art of the Heian period (794–1185).
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Medium: Polychrome woodblock print with embossing (karazuri); ink and color on paper
Dimensions: Image: 12 3/4 x 8 1/4 in. (32.4 x 21 cm)
Current location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
By Uemura Shōen (上村 松園 1875 – 1949). She was the pseudonym of an important artist in Meiji, Taishō and early Shōwa period Japanese painting. Her real name was Uemura Tsune. Shōen was known primarily for her bijin-ga paintings of beautiful women in the nihonga style, although she produced numerous works on historical themes and traditional subjects
Left: Noh Dance Prelude (Jo-no-Mai 序の舞)
Current location: THE UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM,TOKYO UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS Right: Shoen Uemura's "Firefly" (1913)
Current location: Yamanate Museum of Art
Modern Japanese Art
By Jin Goto (後藤 仁 Gotō Jin), born 1968 in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan)
Jin Goto is a Japanese Nihonga painter.
Left: Pipa playing girl - Ethnic minority (侗族) girl from Guizhou province, China. 「トン族琵琶歌」 Right: Changfamei - a girl of long hair (China)
Illustrations for "The Long Hair Daughter - Changfamei" (An Old Chinese Tale -Dong people)
