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Yamamoto Baiitsu, 1783-1856
Birds and Flowers
Ink and color on paper
The paintings of bunjinga artists
working in the nineteenth century tended to be more technically
advanced than those of their eighteenth-century predecessors.
This was partly because later artists had access to more Chinese
originals. Baiitsu was one of the most accomplished painters
of this later group. His knowledge of Chinese styles was exceptional,
as was his technique. His compositions are often subtly balanced,
and this album reveals Baiitsu's considerable proficiency with
color.
Kachôga,
or "flower and bird paintings," have a long history
in Japanese painting. Seasonality, which was often communicated
symbolically by specific flowers and grasses, was also an important
aspect of poetic expression. Many flower and bird subjects were
considered auspicious in and of themselves, while others were
linked to specific emotional sentiments. This is particularly
the case with the Tale of Genji narrative and its representative
illustrations, on display in the next gallery. For most bunjinga
artists, however, the symbolic attributes of flowers and birds
were less important than the opportunity these subjects offered
for a display of skill.
Ackland Art Museum, The University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, The William A. Whitaker Foundation
Art Fund; 82.10.1
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