Seitei kachō gafu (Seitei's Picture Album of Flowers and Birds)
Watanabe Seitei, Seitei kachō gafu (Seitei's Picture Album of Flowers and Birds), 1891, woodblock printed book, color; vol. 3 of 3, Gift of Leta Kennedy, public domain, 81.104
This work is not currently on view.
- Title
Seitei kachō gafu (Seitei's Picture Album of Flowers and Birds)
- Related Titles
original language: 省亭花鳥画譜
translated: Seitei's Picture Album of Flowers and Birds
transliterated: Seitei kachō gafu
- Artist
- Related People
- Date
1891
- Period
Japan: Meiji period (1868-1912)
- Medium
woodblock printed book, color; vol. 3 of 3
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
book: 9 3/4 in x 6 1/2 in x 3/8 in
- Inscriptions & Markings
seal: Seitei, on each double-page design
signature: Watanabe Seitei, colophon
- Collection Area
Asian Art; Graphic Arts
- Category
Books, Portfolios, and Manuscripts
Japanese Traditional Prints
- Object Type
book
- Culture
Japanese
- Credit Line
Gift of Leta Kennedy
- Accession Number
81.104
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
From Objects of Contact: Encounters between Japan and the West
Watanabe Seitei lived in Paris for three years, at a time when emerging Impressionist painters vied against the dominance of French Academism. His own skill as a painter trained in traditional Japanese-style painting (Nihonga) is known to have been highly admired abroad. The painting on view nearby, from an exploration of seasonal subjects, reflects his amalgamation of these various influences. This volume shows how Seitei's deft naturalism, combined with novel approaches to composition and exquisite handling of the brush, was translated for the medium of print.
From The Artist's Touch, The Craftsman's Hand
Although Seitei's early artistic training was with Kikuchi Yōsai (1788–1878), a painter of historical genre scenes, he distinguished himself as a sensitive interpreter of nature and is best remembered for his pictures of flowers and birds. One of his paintings won an award at the 1878 Exposition Universelle in Paris, which encouraged him to travel there; he stayed on for three years, studying Western watercolor technique. His paintings reveal a close examination of nature and a delicacy of brushwork. The printer of this volume is not identified, but the skill in rendering the subtle tones and shadings of Seitei's paintings is breathtaking.
- Exhibitions
2006 Through Rustling Grasses: Nature in the Japanese Print Portland Art Museum
2011 The Artist's Touch, The Craftsman's Hand: Three Centuries of Japanese Prints from the Portland Art Museum Portland Art Museum
2020 Objects of Contact: Encounters between Japan and the West Portland Art Museum