DOI Heft:
No. 200 (November, 200)
DOI Artikel:Taki, Seiichi: The application of nature subjects to designing in japanese art
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.20968#0156
Nature Subjects in Japanese Design
LACQUER PAINTINGS ON DOORS BY ZESHIN SHIBATA
a broad river scene. The design on the outside the Chinese artist. And it is true that since the
displays the Susuki (Eularia Japonica) growing at middle ages, Japanese landscape painting has re-
random, rendered with great delicacy and showing ceived no small influence and inspiration from that
a remarkable combination of curved lines. Kenzan of China; and this went to such an extent in the
was even more adept in keramics than in other Ashikaga era, that the captivating landscape art of
lines of art, and though in this field he followed the classic Yamato-ye style was well nigh sup-
Ninsei, he developed qualities distinctly his own. pressed for the time being by the then dominant
The accompanying tea-bowl with a KikyS plant Chinese art. However, after a while a new tide
design (p. 133) is from the collection of the T5kyo supervened in favour of the Yamaio-ye, and in
Imperial Museum, and exemplifies his talent in the end even the landscape works of the Chinese
the line of keramics. In this instance it is his aim type became infused with traits more conformable
not simply to represent the form of the plant, but to the native taste. This fact is often evidenced
by the addition of a few blades of grass to suggest by the creations of Tannyvi and Morikage. More
a scene in an autumn field. than in any other theme, is the Japanese pecu-
The masterly examples, so far noted, may be liarity (which has no trace of Chinese art) mani-
taken as typical representations of Japanese indus- fested in animal and tree studies. Ancient Chinese
trial.'designing. A careful study of these specimens paintings of the same nature, say, those produced
will, I trust, give an insight into the particular in the Sung and the Yuan dynasties or in still
phase of Japanese art treated in this paper. In earlier ages, had as their primary end the presen-
this connection, I must again compare Japanese tation of formal beauty, and very seldom appeared
and Chinese art with regard to the treatment of in the form of landscapes or suggested any poetic
nature. Like the Japanese, the Chinese also make sentiment. But since the Ming period there have
it their aim to represent nature broadly and with been produced bird and tree paintings with har-
deep sentiment. Landscape is in fact the forte of monizing landscapes. In most cases they represent
134
LACQUER PAINTINGS ON DOORS BY ZESHIN SHIBATA
a broad river scene. The design on the outside the Chinese artist. And it is true that since the
displays the Susuki (Eularia Japonica) growing at middle ages, Japanese landscape painting has re-
random, rendered with great delicacy and showing ceived no small influence and inspiration from that
a remarkable combination of curved lines. Kenzan of China; and this went to such an extent in the
was even more adept in keramics than in other Ashikaga era, that the captivating landscape art of
lines of art, and though in this field he followed the classic Yamato-ye style was well nigh sup-
Ninsei, he developed qualities distinctly his own. pressed for the time being by the then dominant
The accompanying tea-bowl with a KikyS plant Chinese art. However, after a while a new tide
design (p. 133) is from the collection of the T5kyo supervened in favour of the Yamaio-ye, and in
Imperial Museum, and exemplifies his talent in the end even the landscape works of the Chinese
the line of keramics. In this instance it is his aim type became infused with traits more conformable
not simply to represent the form of the plant, but to the native taste. This fact is often evidenced
by the addition of a few blades of grass to suggest by the creations of Tannyvi and Morikage. More
a scene in an autumn field. than in any other theme, is the Japanese pecu-
The masterly examples, so far noted, may be liarity (which has no trace of Chinese art) mani-
taken as typical representations of Japanese indus- fested in animal and tree studies. Ancient Chinese
trial.'designing. A careful study of these specimens paintings of the same nature, say, those produced
will, I trust, give an insight into the particular in the Sung and the Yuan dynasties or in still
phase of Japanese art treated in this paper. In earlier ages, had as their primary end the presen-
this connection, I must again compare Japanese tation of formal beauty, and very seldom appeared
and Chinese art with regard to the treatment of in the form of landscapes or suggested any poetic
nature. Like the Japanese, the Chinese also make sentiment. But since the Ming period there have
it their aim to represent nature broadly and with been produced bird and tree paintings with har-
deep sentiment. Landscape is in fact the forte of monizing landscapes. In most cases they represent
134