Tosa mitsuoki biography sample
Tosa Mitsuoki ()
Fans of Japanese art history are bound to have heard of Tosa Mitsuoki, a famous 17th-century painter. He is best known for his portraits of the nobility of the time. His creations stood out in the artistic landscape thanks to their blend of traditional Japanese and Western aesthetics.
Let&#;s explore the work and career of Tosa Mitsuoki, a master of Japanese painting.
The art and life of Tosa Mitsuoki, an exceptional artist
Tosa Mitsuoki () was a Japanese artist of the Tosa school of painting, who lived during the Edo period in Japan. He is known for his portraits, paintings of historical scenes, narrative scrolls and the magnificent landscapes he immortalized, as well as for his book illustrations.
Tosa Mitsuoki was born into a family of painters. He was the son and pupil of Tosa Mitsunori (). The Tosa school was appreciated for its traditional Japanese-style creations, and Mitsuoki was to give it a second wind. The painter worked as a professional artist for the Tosa clan, creating sublime works for members of the royal family and other prestigious clients.
Here is a Top 5 of Tosa Mitsuoki&#;s most famous works:
- Portrait of Emperor Go-Sai: shows Emperor Go-Sai seated on his golden throne.
- Peonies and swallows: peonies in bloom and swallows taking to the skies.
- Snow season flowers and birds: series of ink paintings depicting birds in winter. Yamato-e style.
- Mountains and rivers: series featuring mountain and river landscapes, a popular theme in Japanese painting.
- Cherry blossoms and birds: birds perched on cherry blossom branches.
Tosa Mitsuoki: analysis of her unique painting style
As you will have noticed from the illustration of Cherry Blossoms and Autumn Maples, Tosa Mitsuoki&#;s artistic style is characterized by bright, vivid colors, careful composition and meticulous attention to detail, particularly in the depiction of clothing and accessories. He was also known for his skilful use of line, cr Gratefully built with ACNLPatternTool Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries. Tosa MitsuokiJapanese Not on view Murasaki Shikibu appears poised to begin writing her tale, pausing as if in mid-thought. Her head tilts away from her desk, while her trancelike stare is directed slightly upward, toward the calligraphy sheets in the upper portion of the painting. The inscriptions list the four stages of Tendai Buddhist contemplation (shimon) that Murasaki was said to have mastered, along with two of her waka (thirty-one-syllable poems) that speak to life’s impermanence (mujōkan). This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more. This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded. This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded. Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item 土佐光起筆 紫式部図 Title:Portrait-Icon of Murasaki Shikibu (Murasaki Shikibu zu) Artist:Tosa Mitsuoki (Japanese, –) Period:Edo period (–) Dateth century Culture:Japan Medium:Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk Dimensions:Image: 35 5/8 × 20 3/4 in. ( × cm) Classification:Paintings Credit Line:Lent by Ishiyamadera Temple Object Number:SL New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Tale of Genji: A Japanese Classic Illuminated," March 5–June 16, Carpenter, John T., and Melissa McCormick. The Tale of Genji: A Japanese Classic Illuminated. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, , pp. –37, cat. no. The Met's collection of Asian art&#;more than 35, objects, ranging in date from the third Japanese art movement The Tosa school (土佐派, Tosa-ha) of Japanese painting was founded in the early Muromachi period (14th–15th centuries), and was devoted to yamato-e, paintings specializing in subject matter and techniques derived from ancient Japanese art, as opposed to schools influenced by Chinese art, notably the Kanō school (狩野派). Tosa school paintings are characterised by "areas of flat opaque colour enclosed by simple outlines, where drawing is precise and conventional", with many narrative subjects from Japanese literature and history. However, by the 17th century both Tosa and Kanō artists broadened their range, and the distinction between these and other schools became less clear. The origins of this school of painting can be traced to Tosa Yukihiro (土佐行広) (fl. first half 15th century), who first used the professional name of Tosa, though unverified claims to earlier origins were made later by Mitsunobu (?–?) who formally founded the school. Mitsunobu served as the official painter (edokoro-azukari) at the imperial court, specializing in courtly subjects painted in the yamato-e (やまと絵) style. The Tosa school under Mitsunobu retained the position of (edokoro azukari (絵所領, "head of the Imperial painting bureau")) for three generations, until , and regained the post under Mitsunori (See #History below). Until the 17th century, the Tosa school painted for the court and aristocratic patrons, which favored such painting subjects as scenes from the classic Tale of Genji (源氏絵), but in later years, the school's range expanded to include bird-and-flower painting and other Chinese-inspired themes and styles. In general, the Tosa style is characterized by rather flat, decorative compositions, fine linework, great attention to detail, and brilliant color. It is starting with Tosa Mitsunobu that a definite art school (atelier, workshop) and family line can be estab
Portrait-Icon of Murasaki Shikibu (Murasaki Shikibu zu)
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Overall with mounting: 66 9/16 × 26 7/16 in. ( × cm)
Overall with knobs: 66 9/16 × 28 9/16 in. ( × cm) Asian Art at The Met
Daruma Pilgrims Gallery
Tosa Mitsuoki 土佐光起
Self-portrait,
Painter
November 21, &#; November 14,
"Do not fill up the whole picture with lines;
also apply colors with a light touch.
Some perfection in design is desirable.
You should not fill in more than one third of the background.
Just as you would if you were writing poetry,
take care to hold something back.
The viewer, too, must bring something into it.
If one includes some empty space along with an image,
then the mind will fill it in."
Tosa Mitsuokiwas the successor of the Tosa school after his father, Tosa Mitsunori(&#;).
Mitsuoki brought the Tosa school to Kyoto after around 50 years in Sakai. When the school was settled in Sakai, Mitsunori painted for townsmen. The school was not as prolific as it once was when Mitsunobu, who painted many fine scrolls (&#;) ran the school. Mitsuoki moved out of Sakai with his father, in and into the city of Kyoto. There, he hoped to revive the Tosa school to gain status back into the Kyoto court.
Around the time of he gained a position as court painter(edokoro azukari) that had for many years traditionally been held by the Tosa family, but was in possession of the Kano school since the Muromachi period (&#;).
Reclaim to fame
In , Mitsuoki restored fortunes back to the family school when he earned the title of the edokoro azukari, which means &#;head of the court painting bureau&#;. Now the Tosa school was back into the highlight of the court. The school prospered throughout the Edo period, during the years of to Mitsuoki can be considered as the last groundbreaking painter of the Tosa school. He was succeeded by a long line of painters, starting with his son, Mitsunari (&#;).
Many of the successors used the same techniques and syle of painting as Mitsuoki, which slowly over the years of the duration of the Edo period, the works became repetitive. The lack of innovation produced many scrolls that could be see Tosa school
History