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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

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Details
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

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)

Related People

publisher: Ōkura Magobei (Japanese, active ca. 1865-1919)

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

Animalia

bird

books

flowers

Japanese woodblock prints

Meiji

Plantae

relief printing

relief prints

woodcuts

Description

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.

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