ARTIST DETAILS

1783～1856

Yamamoto Baiitsu was a late-Edo period painter from the Owari province (modern-day Aichi prefecture). He learned painting under Yamada Kyujyo, a bird-and-flower painting master, and Cho Gessho, a highly respected Nihonga painter. His patron the wealthy merchant, Kamiya Tenyu, however, he eventually leaves Kyoto with Nakabayashi Chikudo to form their own school of painting. While influenced by the Maruyama-Shijo school, the serene and sensuous detail and clarity of his works have a wholly original quality. He was involved with key members of the Japanese literati, i.e. Rai San'yo, and was familiar with the art of tea-making. His works are collected by top-class institutions, i.e. the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.