Forest 1928

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tempera, painting

tempera

painting

asian-art

landscape

japan

realism

Dimensions: 74 1/2 x 93 1/2 in. (189.23 x 237.49 cm) (image)

Katayama Bokuyō made this Forest with mineral pigment on paper. Imagine being immersed in the quiet contemplation of a lush, green forest, the air thick with moisture. Bokuyō's brushstrokes create a dense carpet of foliage, dotted with tiny white flowers, like stars scattered across the forest floor. I wonder if he felt a sense of calm, of being enveloped by the natural world. Maybe this act of close looking became a form of meditation, each delicate stroke a step deeper into the heart of the forest. The trees, rising tall and slender, create a rhythm across the canvas, echoing the artist’s own breath, maybe. There is a dialogue between light and shadow, hinting at hidden depths and unseen life. Painters are constantly inspired and learn from one another’s innovations. Bokuyō’s perspective reminds me of the work of other painters who have sought solace and inspiration in nature. This painting speaks to the enduring power of art to evoke the quiet beauty that surrounds us.

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minneapolisinstituteofart over 1 year ago

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At the young age of twenty-seven, Katayama Bokuyō was awarded the grand prize at Japan's annual Imperial Juried Exhibition in 1927. The following year, he submitted this painting showing a weasel nearly hidden in a tangled bed of flowering fishmint (dokudami) deep in the forest. The judges were so impressed that he was given the status of mukansa, literally "non-vetted," meaning that henceforth any painting he submitted to the annual exhibition would be automatically included. Bokuyō championed a style of painting collectively known as nihon-ga (literally, Japanese style painting) to distinguish it from Western-style oil painting, which was gaining popularity in Japan. Nihon-ga artists used traditional subjects, formats and materials, but their approach often reveals some influence from the West. Here the logical recession into deep space and subtle color variations to suggest atmospheric depth are the result of Bokuyō's exposure to Western art. Nevertheless, the dramatically tipped ground-plain, reduction of motifs, and precisely applied mineral pigments are elements of traditional painting.