Tawaraya Sotatsu
Sotatsu was the greatest master of evocative screen painting and one of his best works was Matsushima. It features the sea crashing into small and pine covered inlets. It also exemplifies a favorite Muromachi arrangement, aligning pines and rocks along the fore ground and leaving ⅔ of the space for the sea which contains two or more rocks. Each element of it is seen from a different perspective; The largest rocky cliff is seen from a elevated vantage point, while the middle cliffs are seen form a lower viewpoint and so on.(S, P1, 4)
Kano Tanyu
Kano Tanyu worked in Edo and Kyoto producing paintings for the imperial palace and the Shogun’s castle in Nagoya. Scrolls are found today that show notes from him and scholars recorded all of his work making valuable resources for historians today. He liked all types of painting, and had the broadest visual experience of his time. Some his paintings are Legends of the Toshogu Shrine at Nikko and Night Fishing with Cormorants, which casts sympathy over his contemporary. (S, P1, 2-3)
Night Fishing with Cormorants: “It is night and the scene is lit by torches forming a semicircle in the bay. A rich merchant, top left, sits enjoying the lively scene of rippling water, diving cormorants and busy fisherman, while an elder regales him with stories. The interest in this scene is in the diverse poses of the activity; the surrounding rocks and reeds are sketched economically, in gentle hues, in contrast to Tanyū’s usually more formal style.” (S, P1, 2-3)
Night Fishing with Cormorants: “It is night and the scene is lit by torches forming a semicircle in the bay. A rich merchant, top left, sits enjoying the lively scene of rippling water, diving cormorants and busy fisherman, while an elder regales him with stories. The interest in this scene is in the diverse poses of the activity; the surrounding rocks and reeds are sketched economically, in gentle hues, in contrast to Tanyū’s usually more formal style.” (S, P1, 2-3)
Ogata Korin
Ogata Korin was one of the most influential painters in Japanese history. He attended both the Kano School and the Rinpa School. He studied and revised the works of Tawaraya Sotatsu and Hon'ami Koetsu. With his use of vivid colors, and ink monochrome, Korin created his two most famous pieces of art, Irises at Yatsuhashi (Eight Bridges), and Rough Waves.-Andy(A2,S)