| Transcript |
- of naturalism; Sosen was famous for his countless realistic depictions of monkeys; and Rosetsu mastered Western techniques of perspective.
During the Edo period, Buddhist temples declined as one of the leading supporters in the creation of art. However, one branch of Buddhism, Zen, flourished in its production of art. Zen monks, who often lived in small temples far from urban centres, revitalized the art of Zen painting, which came to be called zenga. Zenga are deliberately naive, clumsy and rough in execution, and often humourous. The monks were not trained as painters or calligraphers, but painted for the sake of personal expression in an attempt to achieve a oneness with the cosmos, and their paintings came to be used as �visual sermons� to instruct and inspire Zen values. They depicted their patriarchs as cartoonish, ragged eccentrics. The imagery was reduced to very basic and simple forms. These paintings were distributed to the faithful, often in exchange for food and clothing. The teachings of Zen influenced most aspects of the samurais life and traditions, with its emphasis on a highly disciplined and Spartan lifestyle. Zen preached that salvation does not come from reading texts or praying to statues, but from within the individual through dedicated meditation. These beliefs were perfect for the samurai, allowing him to empty his mind so as to overcome any fears about dying in battle. Zen also taught the samurai how to appreciate poetry, calligraphy and painting.
Low Art
OPPOSITE LEFT
34. Chikuseki Nagamachi
(1747-1806)
Moon-gazing from the Bridge / Contemplation de la lune depuis le pont
Hanging scroll, ink and light colours on silk
OPPOSITE RIGHT
35 Choshun Miyagawa
(1683-1753)
Two Beauties /
Deux jolies femmes Hanging scroll, ink and colour on silk
The growth of the cities during the Edo period contributed to the rise of a wealthy merchant class. The merchants took great delight in their activities, and their wealth brought with it demands for an art that recorded their own boisterous recreations and amusements. A class of artists known as machi eshi (town painters) immediately saw the opportunity to capitalize on this lucrative market. Many of them were trained in the classical art traditions of the Kano and Tosa schools, but turned their attention to the treatment of new subjects to reflect the everyday pursuits of the common people and to satisfy their affluent merchant patrons, who were only too willing to squander their money on extravagant paintings. Thus, the new and innovative art called ukiyo-e (or pictures of the floating world) was born, largely to suit the fancy of the merchant class and other townspeople. The ukiyo-e was an exciting new art form as it portrayed spicy subject matter, which the established schools of Kano and Tosa could not. Since ukiyo-e was patronized by the comparatively uncultured merchant class, the artists aimed at a simple, yet showy, depiction of daily, worldly life rather than a spiritual or scholarly one. For the first time in Japanese history, the common merchant class brought about a shift in Japanese cultural dynamics, playing the role of cultural innovator instead of the ruling class. The images wonderfully illustrate
|
|---|
