'Picture of the Sky Fountain' by Ogyu Tensen, Japanese Color Woodblock Print

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Signed, lower right, with artist's chop mark in Hiragana, 'Tensen-e' 天泉絵, for Ogyū Tensen 荻生天泉 (Japanese, 1882-1947)

A substantial, early-20th-century, … Read more Signed, lower right, with artist's chop mark in Hiragana, 'Tensen-e' 天泉絵, for Ogyū Tensen 荻生天泉 (Japanese, 1882-1947)

A substantial, early-20th-century, hand-colored Japanese woodblock showing elegantly-robed figures seated beside musical instruments in a landscape and viewing the full moon through golden clouds. An elegant example of this challenging medium composed with artistic vision and printed with consummate mastery of the medium.

Nihonga style painter Ogyu Tensen was born in present-day Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture. He studied at the Tokyo Fine Arts School, where he was taught by the well-known Kanō school painter Gahō Hashimoto (1835-1908), who was instrumental in the development of nihonga painting. Tensen was selected to participate in the first Bunten exhibition (Ministry of Education Fine Arts Exhibition) in 1907, in which he won an award. He went on to win many other awards at the Bunten exhibitions and the exhibitions of its successor organizations, the Teiten (Imperial Academy of Fine Arts) and Shin Bunten along with exhibitions of the Japan Arts Institute (Nihon Bijutsuin) and the post-war 1946 Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition). Along with his work in printmaking, the Imperial Court commissioned paintings by him.

Tensen was a member of the Futaba kai artist society and the Bijutsu Kenseikai Fine Art Research Association. He also served as a judge in various exhibitions and the first secretary-general of the Fukuyo Art Society. He maintained close ties with his home town, participating in various artist groups and leaving many of his works to Nihonmatsu City.

With thanks to the The Lavenberg Collection of Japanese Prints. See less