Bunjinga

The Japanese term bunjinga refers to a style of painting produced by literati (bunjin). Bunjinga traces its roots to the paintings of Chinese literati of Song dynasty (960–1267). In Japan, bunjinga is also known as nanga (Southern pictures) in reference to the theories of the Ming-dynasty connoisseur, critic, and painter Dong Qichang (1555–1636), who categorized Chinese painters as belonging either to the orthodox and academic Northern School or to the creative and expressive Southern School. In Japan, bunjinga's origins may be traced to the philosopher Ogyu Sorai (1666–1728), who believed in the Chinese notion that the true gentleman was well versed in the arts of painting and calligraphy.

Bunjinga painters came from diverse backgrounds and included samurai, ronin (masterless samurai), poets, and professional painters. Japanese artists learned about Chinese literati painting from the Zen priest-painters who came to Japan in the seventeenth century, Chinese professional and amateur painters in Nagasaki, Chinese woodblock-printed painting manuals, and imported paintings. Bunjinga paintings were done with brush and ink, and occasionally also with color. These paintings were often contained by a poem, which demonstrated the artist's calligraphic expertise. Bunjinga could take a variety of formats, including hanging scrolls, hand scrolls, small-format album leaves, and folding screens, and their subject matter was diverse, ranging from realistic depictions of birds and flowers to abstracted landscapes.

Of the Japanese bunjinga artists, Ike no Taiga (1723–1776) and Yosa Buson (1716–1783) are notable. Taiga's work is characterized by its wittiness and humor as well as its use of dotted and textured brush-strokes accompanied by light and cheery color. In addition, Taiga was an accomplished calligrapher. Buson was a highly praised haiku poet who saw painting as a career that would allow him to earn a living to support his poetry writing. His paintings are light and airy with a playful spirit.

The literati tradition continued into the nineteenth century as artists sought to emulate Chinese ideals more closely than their predecessors. Nineteenth-century bunjinga painters came largely from the educated samurai class. Notable among these artists were Okada Beisanjin (1744–1820) and Uragami Gyokudo (1745–1820). While Beisanjin employed a variety of styles in his paintings, his later works are characterized by forceful brushstrokes that create unusual forms and give texture to his images. Gyokudo's work is more dramatic and somber; he uses layers of brushwork to create feathery mountains and clouds. Whether relying on Chinese style or departing from it, the bunjinga tradition allowed the artists of Japan a creative freedom that resulted in the production of some of the culture's finest works of art.

Painting—Japan; Calligraphy—Japan; Poetry—Japan

Addiss, Stephen. (1987) Tall Mountains and Flowing Waters: The Arts of Urgamo Gyokudo. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press.

——. (1976) Zenga and Nanga: Paintings by Japanese Monks and Scholars. New Orleans, LA: New Orleans Museum of Art.

Cahill, James. (1972) Scholar Painters of Japan. New York: Asia Society.

French, Calvin L. (1974) The Poet-Painters: Buson and his Followers. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.

Yonezawa Yoshiho and Chu Yoshizawa. (1974) Japanese Painting in the Literati Style. New York: Weatherhill.

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