Kawanabe Kyosai

Kawanabe: Daruma

Title page "Kyōsai's Tales"

Kawanabe Kyōsai ( Japanese 河 鍋 暁 斎 , first name also read Gyōsai; born May 18, 1831 in the Koga (Ibaraki) ; died April 26, 1889 ) was a Japanese painter in the Ukiyoe style and in the late style of the Kanō school .

Names

His real first name was Nobuyuki ( 陳 之 ), then Shūsaburō ( 周三郎 ), Tōiku ( 洞 郁 ). His stage names ( 号 , gō) were Baigai ( 売 画 ), Baigai Dōjin ( 売 画 道人 ), Baigai Kyōsha ( 売 画 狂 者 ), Chikamaro ( 周 麿 ), Gaki ( 画 鬼 ), Hata Kyōsha ( 畑 狂 者 ) , Kyōsai or Gyōsai ( 暁 斎 ), Kyōsha Gaishi ( 狂 者 外史 ), Nyokū or Jokū Nyūdō ( 如 空 入道 ), Raisui ( 雷 酔 ), Shōshōan or Seiseian ( 惺 々 庵 ), Shōshō Kyōsai ( 惺 々 狂斎 ), Shōshōsai or Seiseisai ( 惺 々 斎 ), Shuransai ( 酒 乱 斎 ), Suiraibō ( 酔 雷 房 ).

life and work

Kawanabe was the second son of a samurai in the Koga domain. In his early teens he studied the art of ukiyo-e under Utagawa Kuniyoshi . He then educated himself further in Tōkyō (at that time still called Edo ) under Maemura Tōwa ( 前 村 洞 和 ;? –1841), later under Kanō Tōhaku Chinshin ( 狩 野 洞 白 陳信 ;? –1851), the 7th head of the Surugadai -Branch ( 駿 河 台 派 ) of the Kanō family. This gave him the name "Tōiku" when he was 19 years old and was now part of the Kanō family.

When Kawanabe was 27, he separated from the Kanō family and went into business for himself, settling in the Hongō area of ​​Tōkyō. He loved sake , as his gō "Shuransai" suggests, although it is said that his best pictures were created under its influence. - His pictures were shown at the World Exhibition in Vienna in 1873 and at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1878 .

His paintings, most of them in the late Kanō manner, include excellent studies of birds and often have a wild, eccentric humor. He left behind living sketches of great mastery and copies of works by other artists. He also produced a number of prints, many of which show ravens in plain form, and caricatures full of imaginative ingenuity. The latter in particular shape Kyōsai's perception today.

He left behind illustrated books, including "Kyōsai's picture tradition " ( 暁 斎 画 伝 , Kyōsai gaden ), "Kyōsai's picture style" ( 暁 斎 画譜 , Kyōsai gafu ), "Kyōsai's mixed drawings" ( 暁 斎 漫画 , Kyōsai manga ), "Kyōsai's stories" ( 暁 斎 書 談 , Kyōsai shodan ).

photos

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  Dōsan Tanuki, before 1868

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  Fish and water
  seller

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  Shōki on a tiger, 1887

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  Raven, 1887

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  Crow before setting sun

Remarks

1. ↑ Dansaburō-danuki ( 団 三郎 狸 ), here as Dōsan-danuki ( 同 三 狸 ), is the story of one of three famous ghost raccoon dogs . This one is passed down on the island of Sado .
2. ↑ From the Bälz Collection .
3. ↑ Shōki ( 鍾 馗 ) is a Chinese demon and devil expeller .

literature

• Tazawa, Yutaka: Kawanabe Kyōsai . In: Biographical Dictionary of Japanese Art. Kodansha International, 1981. ISBN 0-87011-488-3 .
• Laurance P. Roberts: Kawanabe Kyōsai . In: A Dictionary of Japanese Artists. Weatherhill, 1976. ISBN 0-8348-0113-2 .

Web links

Commons : Kawanabe Kyōsai  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus Kawanabe is the family name, Kyōsai the first name.