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Introduction

Painterly Prints in Nineteenth-Century Japan

June 1 - September 23, 2007

These prints are distinguished by their painterly qualities: spontaneity, boldness, and calligraphic line. Most were not designed by artists belonging to the mainstream ukiyo-e (“floating world”) printmaking tradition, but instead were executed by little-known 19th-century printmakers associated with a variety of painting traditions. The Shijō school of painting predominates, but painters from other traditions or schools are also represented.

The woodcut technique is used here to convey the sense of a calligraphic brushstroke, and in most instances the forms are depicted without the black outlines so typical of ukiyo-e. This practice, seen in many of the works on view, simulates the “boneless” method of painting that originated in China in the 10th century and was imitated in Japan. These painterly prints often lack the rich overall patterns of color and form so characteristic of ukiyo-e works. Instead, the subject is depicted against a blank ground to create a sense of depth and spatial recession, utilizing a compositional approach borrowed from painting.

The books exhibited in the central case complement the prints on the wall by illustrating how an artist’s designs were disseminated in book form. The earliest example, The Moving Brush in "Rough" Painting of 1748-49 by Morikuni (1679-1748), clearly shows how brush techniques were translated into the medium of print. Although it predates the other works in this exhibition, it is included here because its illustrations were some of the earliest to demonstrate the carryover of painting technique to woodblock printing. Other books in the case are picture albums (gafu), which circulated a painter’s or designer’s compositions widely in an inexpensive format.

A unique sense of energy and spontaneity pervades these boldly composed still-lifes and nature studies. Their loose and sketchy execution simulates the calligraphic brushwork of painting in the print medium, demonstrating the richly innovative spirit of the Japanese printmaking tradition.

Selected Objects

Kitagawa Tsukimaro

Magnolias and Butterfly, 1830s
No Image Available

Tachibana Morikuni

The Moving Brush in "Rough" Painting, vol. 2, 1749
No Image Available

Tachibana Morikuni

The Moving Brush in "Rough" Painting, vol. 1, 1748

Hasegawa Sadanobu II

Pheasant on snow-covered pine (Yukimatsu ni kigi), 1850's

Hasegawa Sadanobu II

Japanese Bush Warbler and Aronia (Kaido ni uguisu), 1850's

Fuminobu

Autumn plants (Akikusa), ca. 1850

Attributed to Ko Sukei

Cranes, cherry, and old well (Furuido ni sakura to tsuru), ca. 1810

Kishi Ganrei

Sparrows and bamboo, ca. 1870's

Hasegawa Sadanobu II

Turnip and Carrot (Kubura to ninjin), 1850's

Gyodai

Plum (Ume)

Kitao Masayoshi

Sketches by Keisai: Vol. 4, ca. 1840

Kitao Masayoshi

Sketches by Keisai: Vol. 2, 1842

Shibata Zeshin

Morning glories in rain (Uchu no hirugao), 1870's-1880's

Hasegawa Sadanobu II

Bird and yellow roses (Yamabuki ni kotori), 1850's

Renzan Takanobu

Ivy and old well (Furuido to tsuta), 1840's

Sakai Hōitsu

Ōson’s Picture Album: A Book of Pictures by Priest Hōitsu of Universal Phenomena, 1807

Oda Nanpo

Quail and Bush Clover (Hagi ni uzura), ca. 1840

Keisai Eisen

Grasshopper and morning glories (Asagao ni kirigisu), ca. 1820

Kitagawa Tsukimaro

Hawk on a Plum Tree, Descending Geese (Ume ni taka; rakugan), ca. 1810's

Shibata Zeshin

Peony blossom (Botan), probably 1850's-1860's

Taneaki Takakura

Sparrows and chrysanthemums (Kiku ni suzume), probably ca. 1860

Hasegawa Sadanobu II

Japanese Bush Warbler and Flowering Plum (Ume ni uguisu), 1850's

Shibata Zeshin

Duck swimming amongst reeds (Ashi ni kamo), 1887

Kawamura Kihō, author

Kihō’s Sketchbook (Kihō gafu), 1827

More objects +

Exhibition Checklist

Painterly Prints in Nineteenth-Century Japan

June 1 - September 23, 2007
View Checklist PDF

RISD Museum

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