The Japanese draughtsman and painter Shibata Zeshin was born in 1807 in Edo, today's Tokyo. He experienced the transition from the Edo period, when the Tokugawa shoguns ruled, to the early Meiji era of Emperor Mutsuhito. During Zeshin's life, Japan began to orient itself more towards Western values. The transformation of Japanese society affected his work. On the one hand, his works were given modern elements, on the other hand he tried to preserve the traditional Japanese style of representation.
Zeshin received the basic training for making sketches and drawings at the Maruyama-Shijo Training Center in Kyoto. His private life was difficult and not marked by happiness, his mother and wife both died early. Thus Zeshin sought fulfilment in his artistic work. He painted a lot and painted or decorated with bronze and gold. One of his impressive and typical works, which he brought to silk with coloured ink, is Jurōjin (1887). The facial features of the depicted deity for wisdom and happiness are traditionally blurred to non-existent.
His graphics were precise, not too squiggly, colourful and yet not kitschy. Because of his impressive works, which were also exhibited in Europe, he was summoned to the imperial court as an art expert. For the international art exhibition in Vienna in 1873 he was engaged as the official representative for Japan. Many of his works of art, which he created for the Japanese government, were unfortunately destroyed in the turmoil of the following decades. He participated in the founding of several associations, for example the "Dragon Pond Society" for the preservation of traditional Japanese values. He died in Tokyo in 1891. His eldest son Reisai tried to continue his father's work and style.
The Japanese draughtsman and painter Shibata Zeshin was born in 1807 in Edo, today's Tokyo. He experienced the transition from the Edo period, when the Tokugawa shoguns ruled, to the early Meiji era of Emperor Mutsuhito. During Zeshin's life, Japan began to orient itself more towards Western values. The transformation of Japanese society affected his work. On the one hand, his works were given modern elements, on the other hand he tried to preserve the traditional Japanese style of representation.
Zeshin received the basic training for making sketches and drawings at the Maruyama-Shijo Training Center in Kyoto. His private life was difficult and not marked by happiness, his mother and wife both died early. Thus Zeshin sought fulfilment in his artistic work. He painted a lot and painted or decorated with bronze and gold. One of his impressive and typical works, which he brought to silk with coloured ink, is Jurōjin (1887). The facial features of the depicted deity for wisdom and happiness are traditionally blurred to non-existent.
His graphics were precise, not too squiggly, colourful and yet not kitschy. Because of his impressive works, which were also exhibited in Europe, he was summoned to the imperial court as an art expert. For the international art exhibition in Vienna in 1873 he was engaged as the official representative for Japan. Many of his works of art, which he created for the Japanese government, were unfortunately destroyed in the turmoil of the following decades. He participated in the founding of several associations, for example the "Dragon Pond Society" for the preservation of traditional Japanese values. He died in Tokyo in 1891. His eldest son Reisai tried to continue his father's work and style.
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