Geiami

Japanese: 芸阿弥 - げいあみ

Year of death: Bunmei 17.11.2 (1485.12.8)
Year of birth: Eikyo 3 (1431)
He was a doho (artistic advisor-like position) of the Ashikaga Shogunate during the mid-Muromachi period. Following in his father Noami's footsteps, he was involved in a wide range of arts, including painting, appraising calligraphy and paintings, instructing on room decorations, and renga poetry. He was also known as Shin'ei and had the title Gakuso. His son Soami also took over the same duties. Geiami's prime was during the Onin War (1467-77), and since historical documents are missing, very little is currently known about him. In the history of painting, this corresponds to the period when Masanobu, the founder of the Kano school, appeared on the art scene, and it is believed that Geiami had a considerable influence on the Kano school. The only known work that remains is "Viewing a Waterfall" (1480, Nezu Museum of Art), with a comment by Yokokawa Keizo. This work was given to Shokei, a painter-monk from Kenchoji Temple in Kamakura, as a farewell gift when he returned to the eastern provinces after studying painting under Geiami for three years in Kyoto. The work is based on the solid style of the Southern Song Dynasty painter Xia Gui, and is valuable as it shows the standard style of the central art world at that time.

(Yuji Yamashita)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：文明17.11.2(1485.12.8)
生年：永享3(1431)
室町中期の足利将軍家の同朋(芸術顧問的な職)。父能阿弥のあとを継いで絵画制作,書画の鑑定,座敷飾の指導,連歌など幅広い技芸に携わった。別名真芸,号は学叟。子の相阿弥も同様の職掌を引き継いでいる。芸阿弥の壮年期は応仁の乱(1467～77)の時期に当たり史料が欠失しているため,現在知り得る事跡は極めて少ない。絵画史上では狩野派の始祖正信が画壇に登場する時期に相当し,芸阿弥は狩野派にかなりの影響を与えたと推測される。現存する確実な作品は横川景三賛「観瀑図」(1480,根津美術館蔵)のみである。この作品は,鎌倉建長寺の画僧祥啓が上洛し芸阿弥のもとで3年間の絵画修業ののち,東国に帰る際に餞別として贈られたものである。中国の南宋時代の画家夏珪の様式を基礎とした堅実な作風で,当時の中央画壇の基準的な作風を示すものとして貴重である。<参考文献>毎日新聞社編『禅林画賛』

(山下裕二)

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