Iwasa Matabē

Iwasa Matabē (self-portrait)

Look at chrysanthemums

Iwasa Matabē ( Japanese 岩 佐 又 兵衛 ; born January 1, 1578 ; died July 20, 1650 ), often also written Matabei , was a Japanese painter from the stylistic transition around 1600.

Life

Matabē was the son of a concubine of Prince Araki Murashige ( 荒木 村 重 ; 1535–1586), daimyo at Itami Castle ( Settsu Province ). In the year he was born, the military leader of Japan, Oda Nobunaga , ordered the killing of Murashige and his entire family, allegedly plotting a rebellion. Matabē escaped and was raised in his mother's family under his mother's surname, Iwasa. Matabē represents his nickname, while his real name was Katsumochi ( 勝 以 ).

Matabē showed painterly talent from an early age. His teacher is said to have been Kanō Naizen ( 狩 野 内 膳 ; 1570-1616), a painter who had been closely related to the Araki family. Around 1615 Matabē left Kyōto and went to Kitan-no-shō, today's Fukui in the province of Echizen , where he enjoyed the promotion of the local prince, Matsudaira Tadanao ( 松 平 忠直 ; 1595–1650). He also stayed in Kita-no-shō when Tadanao fell from grace and was sent to Bungo . During this time he developed his own style there.

In 1637 Matabē was ordered to Edo to produce works for the Tokogama shogunate . He did not travel directly from Kita-no-shō, but via Kyōto to Edo and recorded this trip in a report that he called Kaikokudō no ki. In Edo he painted various rooms for the shogunate and painted a series of the Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry for the Tōshōgū shrine in Kawagoe . In addition, he created a large number of display screens and other works.

Rating

In the Edo period , Matabē was considered the founder of the Ukiyoe style and was called Ukiyoe Matabē. In the first half of the 20th century it became customary to revoke this assignment, but later on there was an increasing tendency to recognize the original assignments. His work is characterized by an unusual feeling for form and design with a tendency towards strong expression. His figures typically show emphatically rounded or deliberately elongated faces. Matabē had many students, and so his studio was able to produce a large number of works. He was particularly active in the Kan'ei period (1624–1644), a period that marked a turning point in Japanese art. And so it is quite possible that he formed a kind of bridge between painting from the Momoyama period and that of the developing Edo period.

In addition to the “Thirty-six Immortals” already mentioned, his important works include the depictions on two hanging scrolls: The Kakinomoto no Hitomaro and Ki no Tsurayuki in the MOA Art Museum in Atami (an important cultural asset of Japan ) and the screen “Waiting ladies, looking at chrysanthemums” in Yamatane -Art museum . There is also a high probability that the "Hokoku Festival" screen is owned by the Tokugawa Art Museum .

photos

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  Control screen on the left

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  Control screen on the right

Significant images

• During the time of Matsudaira Tadamasa
  • Hōkoku festival ( 豊 国 祭礼 図 , Hōkoku sairei-zu ), screen
  • The 36 immortals as a book ( 三 十六 歌仙 画冊 , Sanjūkasen gasatsu )
  • Formerly a pair of Kanaya screens , each 6 parts ( 旧 金谷 屏風 , Kyū Kanaya byōbu )
  • Ki no Tsurayuki and Kakimoto no Hitomaro, two hanging rolls ( 紀 貫 之 、 柿 本人 麻 呂 図 )
• During the time of Matsudaira Masatoki
  • Formerly Taruya (Ikeda family) adjustable umbrella, 8-part ( 旧 樽 屋 屏風 (池田 家 屏風) )
  • Hotei ( 布袋 図 )
  • Stag and nobleman ( 鹿 と 貴人 図 )
  • Taiheiki ( 太平 記 図 )
  • Ancient Japanese and Chinese ( 和 漢 故事 人物 図 巻 , Wakan koji jimbutsu emaki ), illustrated book
  • Daruma ( 達磨 図 )
• During the time in Edo
  • The 36 immortals of poetry ( 三 十六 歌仙 図 扁額 )
  • Field extension ( 耕作 図 , Kōsaku ), screen
  • Priest Saigyō (西行 図)
  • Saigyō, looking at the moon ( 月 見 西行 図 )
  • Yang Guifei
  • Princess Lingnü ( 霊 照 女 図 )

Remarks

1. ↑ Tōshōgū shrines ( 東 照 宮 ) were dedicated to him after Tokugawa Ieyasu's death under his posthumous name Tōshō Daigongen ( 東 照 大 権 現 ).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Suzuki, Toshihiko (ed.): Iwasa Matabei . In: Nihon daihyakka zensho (Denshibukku-han), Shogakukan, 1996.
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Tazawa, Yutaka: Iwasa Matabei In: Biographical Dictionary of Japanese Art. Kodansha International, 1981. ISBN 0-87011-488-3 .

literature

• Théo Lésoualc'h: The Japanese Painting. 25th volume in the series World History of Painting. Editions Rencontre, Lausanne 1968.

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . So Iwasa is the family name, Matabē the first name.