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284:) are often quite egotistical and arrogant before their students, one of Zeshin's teachers is reputed to have made the comment that "just as you cannot appreciate the size of Mt. Fuji while standing upon it, so you cannot truly appreciate my skill and reputation while in Kyoto; when you return to Edo you will realize my incredible import and your great fortune in having studied under me." Zeshin, on the other hand, is reputed to have told his own students that he did not wish them to be known as "a pupil of Zeshin's, but rather as a great artist who studied under a man called Zeshin."
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copied a famous painting of a tiger by his teacher
Maruyama Okyo, in lacquer. A red, black and gold lacquer picnic set by Zeshin serves as another good example of this revolutionary traditionalism. The picnic set is made in very traditional style, almost entirely of red and black lacquer with gold decorations of leaves and branches. However, on the serving tray is a series of butterflies and dragonflies, inlaid into the surface of the serving tray and carved out of iridescent seashell.
173:. He has been called "Japan's greatest lacquerer", but his reputation as painter and print artist is more complex: In Japan, he is known as both too modern, a panderer to the Westernization movement, and also an overly conservative traditionalist who did nothing to stand out from his contemporaries. Despite holding this complicated reputation in Japan, Zeshin has come to be well regarded and much studied among the art world of the West, in Britain and the United States in particular.
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337:, Philadelphia the following year, and Paris, although he did not personally attend any of these. One year before his death in 1891, Zeshin was granted the immense honor of membership in the newly created Imperial Art Committee and is today the only artist who has been recognized in 2 fields (painting and
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In the 1830s and 1840s, Japan suffered an economic crisis, and artists were strictly limited, by law, in their use of silver and gold, both nearly essential for traditional styles of lacquer decoration. Zeshin compensated by using bronze to simulate the look and texture of iron, and with a variety of
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poetry, history, literature and philosophy. This would form the foundation of his training in not only the techniques of the traditional arts, but also, and perhaps more importantly, the aesthetic and philosophy of
Japanese traditional art. Many of his works from the period of his studies with Nanrei
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However, although he used many revolutionary elements in his work, both technically and creatively, Zeshin's works were always, on the whole, very traditional. In the brand-new medium of lacquer painting, he would paint traditional subjects like birds and flowers, insects, waterfalls and dragons. He
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It was during his time with Nanrei that he was given the name Zeshin, which he would stick with for the rest of his life. The name has a meaning similar to "this is true" or "the Truth", a reference to an old
Chinese tale of a king who held an audience with a great number of painters. While nearly
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At age 13, the young man who would become Zeshin abandoned the name
Kametaro and became Junzo. Koma Kansai decided that his young charge would need to learn to sketch, paint, and create original designs in order to become a great lacquerer. He arranged for young Shibata to study under
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all of the painters afforded the king the proper respect, bowing before him and comporting themselves appropriately, one arrived half-naked, did not bow, and sat on the floor licking his paintbrush; the king exclaimed "now, this is a true artist!" From this the name Zeshin was taken.
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Zeshin experimented with the technical aspects of lacquer. He mixed his lacquers with a variety of substances to achieve different colors and textures, and to control the consistency and flexibility. He invented a method of painting with lacquer sap directly on paper sized with
305:. Although very few of his Edo period (pre-1868) pieces survive, it is evident in many of his later pieces that he would use, at times, a very simple and nearly colorless style of decoration, while continuing to use the traditional designs such as flowers and reeds.
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scroll paintings were rolled up. He used bronze in his lacquer to simulate the appearance and texture of iron, and cereal starch to thicken his lacquer to simulate, at least in some respects, the effect of
Western
197:. This, of course, gave him an excellent start on the road to being an artist and craftsman. At age eleven, Kametaro, as Zeshin was called in his childhood, became apprenticed to a lacquerer named Koma Kansai II.
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Beginning in 1869, Zeshin was commissioned to work for the
Imperial government, and created many works of art for them which are no longer extant. These included a set of gold-lacquered chairs for the
480:, and considered to have just the right balance of tradition with the new, being beautiful but not gaudy and simple but not boring and smart but not arrogant. His style has been compared by some to
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as a pupil; Taishin would remain his pupil and close friend until his death in 1903. Zeshin married in 1849 and named his first son Reisai, but lost his mother and his wife both soon afterwards.
447:(sword handguard) made by him on which an ant, displayed in relief in lacquer, is carrying away the "shin" character (真) of Zeshin's signature to the other side of the piece.
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other substances and decorative styles to keep his work beautiful, while remaining traditional and doable. Many of his pieces could be said to embrace the concept of
428:, as it requires specially treated paper, and a very particular consistency of lacquer to be used as paint. Zeshin also revived a complex lacquer technique called
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to produce wave forms by drawing a comb through the rapidly solidifying lacquer; this technique is so difficult it had not been used for over a century.
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925:, a catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Shibata Zeshin (see index)
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Zeshin's signature was always quite subdued, and on occasion he would be playful with the idea of the signature. There is a decorative
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with design of lotus, made of wood, lacquer, shell and glass, with silk cord, late Edo-early Meiji period (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
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472:, but like the English ideas of chic, cool, and stylish, the precise colors, patterns, and other stylistic elements that constitute
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was impressed with these fan paintings and, approaching the young painter, began a friendship which would last for many years.
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333:(cherry blossom) motif. He was later made Japan's official representative to several international expositions, including
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Along with
Nakayama Komin and Shirayama Shosai, he is considered one of the three great late lacquerers of Japan.
276:, and Goshin. Though he would later be known primarily for his work with lacquers, Zeshin excelled at traditional
189:) and skilled wood carvers. His father, who had taken his wife's family name of Shibata, was also an experienced
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Koma Kansai died in 1835, and Zeshin inherited the Koma School workshop. He took on a young man by the name of
209:. Shibata then took on yet another artist's name, abandoning Junzo and signing his works "Reisai," using the
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341:) of work. The honor of Imperial Commissioned Artists was only granted to 53 artists between 1890 and 1944.
280:, and produced many works of traditional subjects such as tigers and waterfalls. Though Japanese masters (
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The Art of
Shibata Zeshin, The Mr. and Mrs. James E. O'Brien Collection at the Honolulu Academy of Arts
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The art of
Shibata Zeshin, The Mr. and Mrs. James E. O'Brien Collection at the Honolulu Academy of Arts
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The art of
Shibata Zeshin, The Mr. and Mrs. James E. O'Brien Collection at the Honolulu Academy of Arts
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185:(modern-day Tokyo). His grandfather Izumi Chobei and his father Ichigoro were shrine carpenters (
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are nearly impossible to pin down. Nevertheless, that said, Zeshin's works are often labeled as
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It has been said that much of Zeshin's work strongly represents the aesthetic concept of
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Exhibitions of Zeshin's works have taken place in various institutions internationally.
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Japanese Lacquer, 1600-1900 : selections from the Charles A. Greenfield collection
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Shibata Zeshin : masterpieces of Japanese lacquer from the Khalili Collection
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Japanese Lacquer, 1600-1900: selections from the Charles A. Greenfield collection
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716:"MEIJI NO TAKARA - Treasures of Imperial Japan; Masterpieces by Shibata Zeshin"
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Shibata Zeshin: Masterpieces of Japanese Lacquer from the Khalili Collection
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Zeshin remains, in fact, the only artist to be successful in the medium of
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Zeshin learned not only the basics of painting and sketching, but also
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Bridge of dreams: the Mary Griggs Burke collection of Japanese art
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Jurōjin by Shibata Zeshin, 1887, painting, ink and color on silk (
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Today, one of the greatest collections of Zeshin's works is the
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The Genius of Japanese Lacquer: Masterworks by Shibata Zeshin
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The Genius of Japanese Lacquer: Masterworks by Shibata Zeshin
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456:(粋), which might be translated as "chic." The Edo concept of
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861:, article at Artelino Art Auctions, accessed 3 March 2006.
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O'Brien, Mary Louise, Martin Foulds, and Howard A. Link,
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O'Brien, Mary Louise, Martin Foulds, and Howard A. Link,
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O'Brien, Mary Louise, Martin Foulds, and Howard A. Link,
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Zeshin later studied under other great artists of the
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Oct – Nov 1999, Toyama Sato Art Museum, Toyama, Japan
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work. Licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0. Text taken from
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of London, containing over 100 works by the artist.
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61:but its sources remain unclear because it lacks
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753:Shibata Zeshin: From Lacquer Arts to Painting
560:Tiered Food Box with Summer and Autumn Fruits
911:Recent retrospective reviewed by C.B.Liddell
661: This article incorporates text from a
881:. Edinburgh: National Museums of Scotland.
92:Learn how and when to remove this message
865:http://www.thecityreview.com/griggs.html
768:, Honolulu Academy of Arts, 1979, p. 119
698:, Honolulu Academy of Arts, 1979, p. 17
468:, was described most authoritatively by
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742:, Honolulu Academy of Arts, 1979, p. 25
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575:Flowers and Birds of the Four Seasons
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504:, 4 September to 19 October, 1980,
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917:Entitle: Hannya retrieving her arm
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318:Khalili Collection of Japanese Art
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779:"Writing box (suzuribako), 1860s"
755:, Nezu Museum, Tokyo, 2012, p. IX
156:, March 15, 1807 – July 13, 1891)
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361:Crows Fly by Red Sky at Sunset
237:were fan paintings. The great
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181:Zeshin was born and raised in
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363:, woodblock print, ca. 1880 (
16:19th century Japanese painter
962:Japanese lacquerware artists
681:Earle, Joe, "Zeshin Redux",
562:, Metropolitan Museum of Art
213:from Suzuki Nanrei, and the
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528:Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum
518:National Museum of Scotland
376:Autumn Grasses in Moonlight
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506:Metropolitan Museum of Art
380:Metropolitan Museum of Art
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47:This article includes a
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783:collections.artsmia.org
595:, Tokyo National Museum
539:Japan Society, New York
76:more precise citations.
627:Honolulu Museum of Art
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530:, Hildesheim, Germany
526:Nov 2000 – Mar 2001,
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303:Japanese tea ceremony
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877:Earle, Joe (1997).
720:Khalili Collections
346:Khalili Collections
823:nasserdkhalili.com
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49:list of references
243:Utagawa Kuniyoshi
195:Katsukawa Shunshō
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68:Please help
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947:1891 deaths
942:1807 births
493:Exhibitions
460:, known as
410:animal glue
74:introducing
936:Categories
725:2020-04-28
704:090369705X
652:References
508:, New York
470:Kuki Shūzō
169:and early
124:1807-03-15
82:April 2020
431:seikai-ha
187:miyadaiku
177:Biography
171:Meiji era
897:37794363
789:27 March
635:See also
610:, 1865,
426:urushi-e
414:urushi-e
312:"Waves"
19:In this
546:Gallery
241:artist
239:ukiyo-e
191:ukiyo-e
163:painter
160:lacquer
70:improve
29:Shibata
25:surname
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466:Kansai
339:maki-e
330:sakura
314:maki-e
282:sensei
260:, 1872
254:Maki-e
23:, the
608:Shōki
483:haiku
444:tsuba
352:Style
230:haiku
153:柴田 是真
55:, or
893:OCLC
883:ISBN
835:2019
791:2020
700:ISBN
408:and
406:alum
402:dōsa
392:Inrō
298:wabi
234:waka
232:and
133:Died
114:Born
478:iki
474:iki
464:in
462:sui
458:iki
453:iki
215:sai
211:Rei
183:Edo
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