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Okuhara Seiko
Tree Sparrows and Nandina — Meji Period kachō-ga Woodblock Print, Woman Artist
c. 1900

Price:$300

About the Item

Okuhara Seiko, 'Tree Sparrows and Nandina', color woodblock print, c. 1900. Signed in Black ink with the artist’s red seal beneath, lower right. A fine impression on thin Japanese paper, with fresh colors and pronounced woodgrain, indicating an early impression. Apparently the full sheet, printed to the sheet edges, in excellent condition. Archivally sleeved, unmatted. Image size/sheet size: 9 13/16 x 4 11/16 inches (249 x 119 mm). ABOUT THIS WORK Okuhara Seiko’s 'Tree Sparrows and Nandina' ('Birds and Nandina'), c. 1900, is a delicately printed color woodblock in the narrow ko-tanzaku format. Two Eurasian tree sparrows (Passer montanus) perch among slender branches of nandina. The composition combines close observation of nature with Seiko’s characteristically expressive approach to bird-and-flower subjects. The sparrows are rendered with remarkable subtley, their softly modeled plumage contrasting with the more calligraphic treatment of the branches and foliage. Particularly effective is the restrained use of color: muted brown, pink, blue, and grey allow the vermilion-red nandina berries to punctuate the composition, while delicate gradations (bokashi) create an atmospheric sense of depth. The print exemplifies the sophisticated translation of Seiko’s painterly kachō-ga imagery into the woodblock medium during the late Meiji period, preserving the spontaneity of brush and ink within the exacting demands of color woodblock printing. ABOUT THE ARTIST Okuhara Seiko (1837–1913) was one of the foremost Japanese women artists of the nineteenth century and a leading exponent of Nanga, or Japanese literati painting, valuing personal expression over academic technique. Born into a samurai family in Koga, present-day Ibaraki Prefecture, she began studying painting in 1853 with Hirata Suiseki, an artist in the lineage of Tani Bunchō, and later studied the work of Watanabe Kazan as well as Chinese Ming and Qing dynasty painting. In 1865 Seiko moved to Edo (Tokyo), where she established her own studio and became a prominent figure in the city's artistic and intellectual circles. Known for her independent character and vigorous brushwork, she achieved exceptional success at a time when professional Japanese art was overwhelmingly dominated by men. Her studio attracted more than 300 pupils; the young Okakura Tenshin, later one of the principal figures in the development of modern Japanese art, was among them. Seiko worked principally in landscape and bird-and-flower subjects, combining the traditions of Chinese literati painting with a strongly individual approach to composition, brushwork, and color. Her designs were also translated into color woodblock prints, particularly bird-and-flower subjects, extending her imagery into the increasingly sophisticated world of Meiji-period print publishing. These prints preserve the calligraphic vitality and sensitivity to nature characteristic of her paintings while exploiting the distinctive possibilities of carved line, gradated color, and Japanese paper. Seiko continued to work until her death in 1913. Once celebrated as one of the leading Nanga painters of Meiji Japan, she has received renewed scholarly and museum attention for her work as an important contribution to both Japanese literati painting and the history of women artists in modern Japan. Her paintings are represented in major institutional collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the British Museum, London.

Creator:
Okuhara Seiko (1937 - 1913, Japanese)
Creation Year:
c. 1900
Dimensions:
Height: 9.8 in (24.9 cm)Width: 4.7 in (11.94 cm)
Medium:
Woodblock
Period:
1900-1909
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Myrtle Beach, SC
Reference Number:
Seller: 982831stDibs: LU532318509642

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Okuhara Seiko
Tree Sparrows and Nandina — Meji Period kachō-ga Woodblock Print, Woman Artist
c. 1900