Album of 12 leaves depicting birds, fruits and flowers

Tsubaki Chinzan and Tachihara Shunsa were both Nanga painters who studied under Watanabe Kanzan (1793–1841), an artist noted for his character-revealing portraits and his pioneering efforts in adapting Western perspective to Japanese art. Nanga paintings almost always depicted traditional Chinese subjects. Unlike Chinese literati painters, Nanga painters in Japan were less tied to orthodox styles—probably due to the limited importation of Chinese literati paintings during the Edo period. Instead, Nanga painters displayed unique elements and individuality in their creations. Here Tachihara Shunsa, the daughter of a Confucian scholar, employs an innovative use of line drawing in traditional ink for her bamboo painting. Contrast this with the work of Tsubaki Chinzan, a member of the samurai class, who playfully brushed the ink washes in his rock and plum painting, creating a very joyful visual experience. (“Tradition, Transmission, and Transformation in East Asian Art,” curated by Cornell PhD student Yuhua Ding under the supervision of Ellen Avril and presented at the Johnson Museum January 23-June 12, 2016)