Teacher Packet: Chinese Brushpainting (.pdf) - Asian Art Museum ...

Slide 20
Brushstrokes: Styles and Techniques of Chinese Painting
Herons and Reeds
Yamamoto Baiitsu (1783-1856)
Edo period
Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk
B65 D14
Bird and flower compositions of all styles were particularly popular
in Japan where intimate, lyrical views of nature were favored
in painting, decorative arts, and poetic imagery. In this picture by
Yamamoto Baiitsu, the viewer enjoys a close-up view of the complexity
and richness of life at the water's edge. One can imagine
that it won't be long before the heron snags the small fish or frog
it is intensely hunting. Baiitsu was an accomplished artist of the
nanga school, but also a very sensitive observer of nature. In his
paintings he is interested in capturing artistically how plants grow,
bend, and even wither. He notices and records the forms, movement,
and spirit of the birds. His experience of Chinese models for
painting came from actual paintings recently imported to Japan,
rather than from the copy books and theoretical writings which
were so influential with other nanga painters. Working from examples
of both professional and amateur styles, he acquired a dazzling
mastery of Chinese brushwork techniques.
These reeds, lotuses, and herons combine in a xieyi style with artfully
applied ink and color washes. Although the overall effect is
loose and free, much of the painting has been created with a carefully
controlled use of washes in a modified boneless style similar
to Yun Bing's (slide 15). Outlines are not drawn, but their appearance
is effectively evoked by the pooling of two layers of wash at
the edge of the forms. Tarashikomi, a particularly Japanese technique
that gives a mottled color effect, has been used on the floating
water plants and reeds. In this wet-on-wet technique, small or generous amounts of color or darker
ink are dropped onto a layer of wash that is still wet. The color spreads a bit and only partially blends
with the undercoat. Fluid orchid-leaf lines describe the contours of the necks of the herons; nail-head
rat-tail lines outline the wing feathers, and dry brush strokes indicate the soft feathers of his body. The
delicate flower heads of the reeds were also painted with a dry- or split-brush technique.
Baiitsu's use of color is subdued. His range of colors is soft and he then mixes them with ink or applies
them over pale ink wash to further reduce their intensity. Complex brushwork, controlled washes,
muted colors, and densely overlapping forms create a convincingly realistic and decorative image.
Yamamoto Baiitsu was born in Nagoya and returned there to paint for the Tokugawa rulers after
a period of travel and study in Kyoto and Edo. Through his early training he learned modes of
decorative composition in the Kano school and to paint from observation of nature in the Maruyamo-
25 Asian Art Museum