ARTIST :
Imao Keinen (1845-1924) began teaching at his own studio in 1868 before becoming a professor at the Kyoto Prefectural School of Painting in 1880. Perhaps the singularly most famous Kyoto artist of his time he went on to be awarded membership of the Art Committee of the Imperial Household in 1904 and was a juror for the first ever national Bunten exhibition in 1907. Bird and flower paintings based on sketching from real life were his forte. He painted in an elaborate and gorgeous manner with great emphasis on realistic detail. Amongst others, his works are held in the collections of the Metropolitan, Ashmolean, Museum of Fine Arts Boston and the Tokyo National Museum. References: Araki, Tsune (ed), Dai Nihon shôga meika taikan, Tokyo 1975 (1934), p.2049. Morioka, Michiyo and Paul Berry, Modern Masters of Kyoto, Seattle 1999, pp. 122-125. Roberts, Laurance P., A Dictionary of Japanese artists, New York, 1976, p. 53. |
DESCRIPTION :
Under the soft light of an elliptical moon two small quail forage in the grass. They are sheltered by shrubs and reeds which seem almost ethereal such is Keinen's affinity with ink. Keinen has puddled, pooled, blown and caressed the ink to depict the foliage, bringing the quail to the fore with their weightier realism. The title of the work is 'Shushuku sojun', which translates to 'two quail welcoming the beginning of autumn'. The high quality brocade mounting is finished with ivory rollers and the painting is contained within a signed and sealed double wooden storage box. |
