Yamamoto Baiitsu

A Southern painter of the late Edo period. His given name was Ryo, and his pen name was Meikyo. He also went by the pen names Baiitsu and Gyokuzen. He was born to a family of sculptors in Nagoya. He first studied painting under Yamada Miyatsune and Yamamoto Rantei, and like Nakabayashi Chikuto, he copied historical sites from the Genmin period under the patronage of Kamiya Ten'yu, building a foundation in painting. At the age of 20, he moved to Tokyo and established himself as a painter. He studied under Zhou Zhifen of the Ming dynasty, and excelled in colorful, skillful flower and bird paintings. His harsh lines cannot be said to be in keeping with the Southern School, but in "Pine, Bamboo, and Plum" (Egawa Museum of Art), they are more effective and make for a masterpiece. In 1854 (Ansei 1), he returned to Nagoya, became an official painter for the domain, and was promoted to the samurai rank.

[Suzu Hoshino January 19, 2017]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸後期の南画家。名は亮(りょう)、字(あざな)は明卿(めいきょう)。梅逸、玉禅と号する。名古屋の彫刻師の家に生まれる。初め画(え)を山田宮常、山本蘭亭(らんてい)に学び、中林竹洞(ちくとう)と同じく神谷天遊の庇護(ひご)の下で元明(げんみん)の古跡を臨模し画の基礎をつくる。20歳のころ上京し画家としてたつ。明の周之冕(しゅうしべん)に私淑し、色彩豊かで技巧の勝った花鳥画を得意とした。そのとげとげしい描線は南宗(なんしゅう)的であるとはいいがたいが、『松竹梅図』（穎川(えがわ)美術館）ではそれがかえって効果を放ち、優作となっている。1854年（安政1）名古屋に戻り、藩の御用絵師となり士分に取り立てられた。

［星野　鈴　2017年1月19日］

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