|
Winter 1999
On view through April 1, 200 at The Clark Center for Japanese Art: "Eclectic Edo: Variations in Paintings from the Edo Period (1603-1868)." This exhibition highlights the multiplicity of Edo period art in the Clark Collection. Included among the featured artworks are paintings from the Maruyama-Shijo, Nagasaki, Nanga, and Sumiyoshi schools as well as Edo period Buddhist paintings and works by individualist artists such as Nagasawa Rosetsu and Soga Shohaku. (Visitor info) |
|
 Reading the I-ching in the Autumn Woods, Nakabayashi Chikuto (1776-1853), Edo period, Ink and light colors on paper, hanging scroll, The Clark Center for Japanese Art Chikuto was one of the leading Nanga or Bunjin painters of the late Edo period. Nanga or Bunjin painters practiced Chinese painting and calligraphy. This painting therefore is painted by a Japanese but in a distinctly Chinese style. Dry brushwork which emphasizes the sparseness of growth and vegetation, was often used to depict fall and winter landscapes, as opposed to wet brushwork which is often used to show the lushness of spring and summer scenes. [Click for a larger image (82Kb), then use the Back command in your browser to return to this page] |
 Landscape with Animals, Signed Hidenobu, Edo period, Ink and colors on silk, hanging scroll, The Clark Center for Japanese Art This strange and enigmatic painting is indeed a 'fantastic' landscape. Although the import of western books was prohibited by the government in the early Edo period, by 1720 the ban was lifted and various books on botany, zoology, and other sciences were trickling into the country. This Japanese painter has taken elements found in western books such as the lions, rhinoceros, Dutch tulips, a type of palm tree, and grape vines, to create his landscape. The artist saw the lions in a woodblock printed book in black and white, and hence did not know that lions are not pink! The artist is also experimenting with atmospheric perspective whereby the objects in the foreground are depicted distinctly larger than those in the background. [Click for a larger image (96Kb), then use the Back command in your browser to return to this page] |
 The Scenery of Matsushima Tani Buncho (1763-1841), Edo period, Ink and colors on silk, hanging scroll. The Clark Family Collection Buncho is known as one of the most prolific and innovative painters of Japan. Although fundamentally a painter of the Bunjin school, he is most known for his innovative works which show influences of western modes of painting. For example in the current work, the use of the colors blue and green date back to early Chinese landscape paintings. However, the inclusion of a distinct horizon at the upper right is extremely unusual for Japanese or Chinese landscape paintings. Perhaps Buncho saw Dutch copperplate etchings that were imported to Japan at the time. This painting depicts Matsushima, known as one of the 'three most scenic sites of Japan.' This type of subject matter depicting an actual place in Japan as opposed to a Chinese or an imaginary site is called a "true-view painting" (shinkeizu). [Click for a larger image (100Kb), then use the Back command in your browser to return to this page]
 Monkeys in Pine Trees, Kishi Renzan (1805-1859), Edo period, Ink and colors on paper, single 6-fold screen, The Clark Family Collection Renzan was the son-in-law of one of the many followers of the Maruyama-Shijo school. The Maruyama-Shijo school, headed by Maruyama Okyo in the eighteenth century, was known for its naturalistic and sometimes elaborate depictions of the real world. For example, in this painting monkeys have been painted meticulously to appear realistic in their actions and facial expressions. The tree trunks and extending branches have also been painted to look real in three-dimensional treatment. [Click for a larger image (77Kb), then use the Back command in your browser to return to this page] |
|
THE CENTER | COLLECTION | MEMBERSHIP | HOME
Website design and maintenance by ToTheWeb LLC