Nakayama Sūgakudō, Woodpecker and Erythronium Japonicum, 1859, Print

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Description

Nakayama (active 1850-1870)

Green Woodpecker and Erythronium japonicum (Kitsutsuki katakuri)
Japanese woodblock print from the 1859 collection "Forty-Eight Birds Drawn … Read more Nakayama (active 1850-1870)

Green Woodpecker and Erythronium japonicum (Kitsutsuki katakuri)
Japanese woodblock print from the 1859 collection "Forty-Eight Birds Drawn from Nature"
1859
Laid paper
Edo Period (Tokyo)
Publisher: Tsutaya Kichizō
Publisher's Seal | Censor's Seal: Koeido Han | Aratame: Date seal in the lower left corner of the print

Dimensions: 37.5 x 23.4 cm (Ōban)

A superb Japanese woodblock print showcasing the beauty of Ukiyo-e art, with colors still very vibrant. Fresh, vibrant colors, an elegant motif of a woodpecker flying over a waterfall and above Katakuri, or Japanese Dog's-tooth Violet (Erythronium japonicum). It is in good condition despite a few minor details: the central crease, characteristic of this period; the lower left corner, which has some tiny losses and creases; and the right margin, which thins towards the bottom and is not trimmed straight.

Little is known about the artist Nakayama Sūgakudō, who was active in Tokyo between 1850 and 1870. His real name was Nakayama Akinao, and most essential biographical details, such as his birth and death dates, are unknown, adding to the mystery and legend surrounding the artist.

He trained under the painter Tazaki Sōun, a member of the Nanga or Bunjinga school, a refined style of painting primarily focused on landscape and heavily influenced by Japanese painting. In ink, characterized by a great freedom of line. Tazaki Sōun was himself a disciple of the renowned painter of this school, Tani Bunchō.

Sūgakudō, who sometimes used the name Sūgaku, produced most of his work in the 1850s and 1860s, a period that coincides with the rise of the great landscape painter Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), whose heir he is considered. Hiroshige had captivated the public with his views of famous places (meisho) and other nature scenes.

Nakayama Sūgakudō specialized in the refined genre of kachō-e, that is, natural scenes with birds and flowers. His major work is considered to be the series of forty-eight bird prints titled Ikiutsushi shijūhachi taka (1859), published by Tsutaya Kichizō of the Published by the Koeido publishing house, where the influence of his master, Tazaki Soun, is evident. Our print is part of this collection, a rare contemporary record of Japanese artistic and ornithological practices. Its publication also demonstrates the appeal of such subjects to buyers, whether collectors, local enthusiasts, or foreigners, who facilitated its distribution as far as France, as seen in our print.

Sūgakudō's main strength lies in the composition of his natural scenes, depicting birds in relation to the vegetation that constitutes their habitat, as well as seasonal elements characteristic of each species. In this respect, the series is quite varied—featuring scenes of spring, summer, autumn, and winter—and instantly recognizable thanks to its distinctive yellow border.

Stylistically, he is a faithful disciple of Hiroshige, with well-constructed compositions, precise drawing, and intense yet harmonious colors. Although these prints are intended for contemplation, they could certainly be used for ornithological study, due to the precision with which the plumage and anatomical details of each specimen are depicted. His work has not been particularly appreciated by critics, perhaps because it falls somewhere between the attractive kachō-e compositions of the ukiyo-e landscape painters of the Edo period (1603-1868), such as the aforementioned Hiroshige, and the more specialized naturalist painters of the Meiji era (1868-1912), such as Kōno Bairei (1844-1895), who published extensive albums, sparing no effort, for a more demanding public. This piece has an attribution mark,
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