Pines and Birds in the Snow, Ogata Kōrin (1658-1716)

Maple and Flowers, attributed to Suzuki Kiitsu, 1840s

Ink and color on hanging silk scroll 40 ¼ x 11 ⅝ in. (102.2 x 29.6 cm) Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT, USA

Sakai Hōitsu

Cherry and Maple Trees

early 1820s

Kamisaka Sekka (神坂 雪佳, 1866–1942) was an important artistic figure in early twentieth-century Japan. Born in Kyoto to a samurai family, his talents for art and design were recognised early. He eventually allied himself with the traditional Rinpa school of art. He is considered the last great proponent of this artistic tradition. Sekka also worked in lacquer and in a variety of other media.

As traditional Japanese styles became unfashionable (such as Rinpa style), Japan implemented policies to promote the country's unique artistic style by upgrading the status of traditional artists who infused their craft with a dose of modernism. In 1901, Sekka was sent by the Japanese government to Glasgow where he was heavily influenced by Art Nouveau. He sought to learn more about the Western attraction to Japonism, and which elements or facets of Japanese art would be more attractive to the West. Returning to Japan, he taught at the newly opened Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts, experimented with Western tastes, styles, and methods, and incorporated them into his otherwise traditional Japanese-style works. While he sticks to traditional Japanese subject matter, and some elements of Rinpa painting, the overall effect is very Western and modern. He uses bright colors in large swaths, his images seeming on the verge of being patterns rather than proper pictures of a subject; the colors and patterns seem almost to "pop", giving the paintings an almost three-dimensional quality.

FLOWERS OF A HUNDRED WORLDS: RIVER IN WINTER

— Kamisaka Sekka, 1909-10, Rinpa school, Cleveland Museum of Art, color woodcuts with gold and silver, 29,9 x 22,1 cm

High quality image

Ryoko Kaneta’s “In Our Nature.”

Opening June 25th, 2022 at Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles, California is artist Ryoko Kaneta’s solo exhibition, “In Our Nature.”

One of the leading figures of Japan’s up-and-coming generation of artists, Kaneta will be making her U.S. solo debut with “In Our Nature.” The Tokyo-based artist paints according to ancient Japanese philosophies, including the thought that God dwells in all beings. Her descriptive paintings are embedded in historic cultures yet exist as fleeting spectacles of nature. The artist applies acrylic paint to canvas and masterfully blends to create an image that actively develops and moves with cyclicality. Her artworks suggest a passing of time and celebrate nature’s ephemerality.

Kaneta uses the female figure to personify elements of nature, including the phenomenon of weather and dramatic seasonal transformation, both of which are depicted dreamily in the artist’s landscapes. These sceneries, some of which Kaneta has visited, have held particular resonance for the artist. They have encouraged her ambition to accurately express the history and stories of a place. This way of working is akin to the attitudes of the Rinpa and Kanō Schools, approaching painting through scenes of nature portrayed and celebrated in ancient Japanese literature.

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Jill-O'-Wisps

Sirens adapt to every watery environment, marshes included. As always, care must be taken to avoid calamity.

Prompt: katy perry in the black and gold dress, in the style of 32k uhd, crimson and blue, matte photo, rinpa school, sparklecore, holographic :: an oil painting of a swampy marsh with trees, in the style of stephan martinière, mike mignola, national geographic photo, cobra, made of vines, dark black and yellow, roger dean

Detail from "Morning Glories" (朝顔, Asagao), ca. 1840s, by Suzuki Kiitsu (鈴木其一, 1796–1858) a 19th century Japanese painter of the Rinpa school.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The USA.

Top: Katsushige Folding Screen (Kyoto depicted), Kanazawa Museum

Bottom: Folding Screen, Rinpa School, Moon over Grasses

'Morning Glories' ( Asagao) (a detail from a six-panel folding screen painting), c. 1840s, by Suzuki Kiitsu (1796–1858) a 19th century Japanese painter of the Rinpa school.

1716-Ogata Kōrin

Ogata Kōrin (Japanese: 尾形光琳; 1658 – June 2, 1716) was a Japanese landscape illustrator, lacquerer, painter, and textile designer of the Rinpa School.

Ogata Korin

36 poets

Edo period

Doing The Depression Chic.

If we hear the Psychiatrists or go through the Agony Aunt’s columns, we would be made to believe that a spectre of epidemic proportions, the Depression, is haunting the world !

Recently, one of our rustic, no nonsense, ex-Cricket Captain was asked about the sport persons coming out with their mental health issues and how they dealt with it in his times. He said that he played the game, for he enjoyed it, and never had any mental problems with it !

He then made a scathing comment on the today’s generation that they study in air-conditioned schools, their parents pay hefty fees, the Teachers cannot even touch them and they complain about pressure ! Some people lauded his attitude while some felt his classifying the Pressure and Depression as a Western concept, cringe worthy.

As for me, I once had a chance to observe the malady at a close quarters, when it was not in an epidemic form, and also the treatment thereof. The attending Psychiatrist was himself quite eccentric but brilliant.

The Psychiatrist in question was at that time the Superintendent of the RINPAS, the premier Psychiatric Institute.

He frequently visited my Branch for his personal work and we used to have long chats on Abnormal Psychology. Once after a particularly stimulating long chat, he exclaimed that while chatting with me he feels so comfortable that he often feels that he is still at RINPAS !

Well, I still can’t figure out, whether or not, it was a left handed compliment !!

He told me a personal anecdote which I still remember. His son was appearing in his Intermediate Examinations. One fine morning, he came to his father and said that he was having a tummy ache and won’t be able to take the examinations any further. His father immediately understood his exact malady and said “बेटा! तुम examination में फेल हो जाना..तुम आगे जाकर चपरासी बन जाना..या तुम बेरोज़गार ही रह जाना..मुझे कोई फ़र्क़ नहीं पड़ेगा । मैं तुम्हें सँभाल लूँगा..पर बेटा, बस तुम पागल मत हो जाना, क्यूँ कि, तब मैं तुम को सँभाल नहीं पाऊँगा !

His son understood and his “Tummy Ache” vanished and he continued taking the examinations !

It may sound as a jocular exchange between the father and the son, but the lack of such open communication and parental guidance in the family is the one of the main reason behind the so called “Spectre”. The disintegration of the joint families and the lack of two way communication and guidance, have exacerbated the malady. People who have too much of comfort at home and too much of ingratitude at heart, are the prime candidates for depression. We should learn to count our blessings and be thankful to the Supreme Power for what we have.

The social media and the peer followings have also made the depression “Chic” and happening. Just like doing the Drugs, adding to it’s popularity and spread !

Barring some people who have unfortunate genetic predisposition or have pathological mental disorder and need specialised care, in my opinion, the rest just need Tender Loving Care and enlightened Parental Counselling to tide over the tough times. The youngsters should be made to imbibe the adage that such tough times never last, but the tough people do !

Sakai Hōitsu (Japanese, 1761–1828), Persimmon Tree, 1816, Two-panel folding screen; ink and color on paper, overall 162.9 × 162.6 cm, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Fan with painting of a crane

Artist: Style of Ogata Kōrin 尾形光琳 (1658-1716)

Historical period: Edo period, 19th century

School: Rinpa School

Medium: Ink and color on paper

Geography: Japan

Freer Gallery of Art

International Cat Day calls for international cats. 

See 酒井抱一画帖 aka Sakai Hōitsu gajō [Sakai Hōitsu painting album] by Japanese artist Sakai Hōitsu (酒井抱一) of the Rinpa School for these kittes and more simple yet captivating images.

Find more Japanese Illustrated Books from the Edo and Meiji Periods in our Books Online.