Object Type
Artist
Period
Materials
Creation Date
Dimensions
|
Object Type |
19th Century Japanese Scroll |
|---|---|---|
Artist |
Kunisada | |
Period |
Edo (19th century) | |
Materials |
Color on Paper Fan | |
Creation Date |
ca. 1830 | |
Dimensions |
18.8 cm. x 51 cm. (7 3/8 in. x 20 1/8 in.) |
Commentary |
Kunisada is classified as a decadent print master. This was classifying him as one of the perpetrators in the decline of Japanese prints. If they were saying he was not a great artist then they are wrong, because his paintings are of the highest caliber. It is true that the style of painting and his style of woodblock prints do not seem similar at all, but that is true of most artists who did both woodblock prints and individual paintings. He had a very precise clean brush stroke, and his paintings stand out because of this cleanness and elegance of composition. - JDP This is an album in which Kunisada collaborated with his one time teacher, Ikkei (1749-1844). Ikkei signed his works "88 years old, Hanabusa Ikkei hitsu," which indicates that the work was completed in 1836 at the time Ikkei was 88 years old. I selected only Kunisada's works here: these genre scenes indicate the artist's conscious efforts to emulate Hanabusa Iccho's style. Even for his signature he took one letter from Iccho's studio name, "Nobuka," and signed "Kachõro." His longing for the Genroku culture is inevitable. |