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Title: Ise Då�Chå« No Maki 伊勢é�“中之巻 [Pilgrimage to Ise, or, on the Road to Ise, 2 Hand Scrolls - Emaki 絵巻]
Description: Ise DÅ�chÅ« no Maki 伊勢é�“中之巻 [Pilgrimage to Ise, or, On the Road to Ise, 2 hand scrolls - Emaki 絵巻] Height 15 ½" Length, Scroll One: Over 32 feet with 24 scenes along the way. Scroll Two: About 36 feet with 24 scenes... The amount of work that went into this commission is startling. As some of the scenes are quite original and depict everyday life in TaishÅ� Japan, one may assume the artist painted in studio from sketches he created along the way. The binding and box are of the highest quality.. A deluxe production. KÅ�ka 弘è�¯, artist TaishÅ� 12 [1923] Through the years, the general opinion of the work done in the Nihonga genre has changed for the better, for good reason.. There are many reasons, but perhaps the most significant is the understanding that Nihonga painting (and printmaking, for that matter - Shinhanga) was an adaptation to the new artistic opportunities made possible by the pigments, new artistic technologies in general. Materials sciences were exploding with the introduction of Western scientific methodology. New materials, both homegrown and imported , created new art. One might say that Nihonga painting and so-called "Shin-hanga" are closely related in that they expanded the depiction of traditional themes and subjects with new capabilities. It would take a while for the combination to become more harmonious, but the results could sometimes be extraordinary. The scrolls at hand were almost certainly the product of a wealthy patron from Kyoto wishing to inscribe a pilgrimage to the shrines at Ise. To that end, he commissioned this work from a painter whose art name was KÅ�ka 弘è�¯, presumably a local artist, as his paintings do occasionally surface in the marketplace in Kyoto, even today. KÅ�ka had an extraordinary way with color.. even a brief look at his work reveals a confidence and boldness which is very immediate, very pleasing. He manages to avoid cliché by recasting familiar scenes from the pilgrimage with power and interest.. He has also introduced several original views along the way to heighten the reality.. Rainstorms, crowded streets. The quotidian contemporary enlivening the traditional.. The brushwork is sure and supple.. Really a masterpiece of the genre. My gallery friends in Japan and I have struggled for years to figure out if the art name KÅ�ka could have been an early career usage by a famous Nihonga practitioner of later years.. But, now, I am ready to send it on its way as a gifted moment by an unknown. Brilliant and unique...

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