Artists have always looked back at the masters of painting to gain insights of technique and expression. In 2023 we will devote one week a month in class to exploring various great artists, some of whom are well known and some who are perhaps new to us.
Through doing this we can gain a greater connection with our art history and what came before us as well as enjoying the actual act of painting something that was done by a leading artist.
We kick off with this fabulous painting in January by Hiroaki Takahashi
Hiroaki Takahashi (1871-1945), also known as Shotei or Komei, was an illustrator, painter and woodblock printer from Tokyo. He learned the art of Nihonga, Japanese style painting, from his uncle Fuko Matsumoto during the early Taisho period. His works cover scenes from villages, shrines, and nature, most of them signed with a variety of his artist names. Shotei worked for the Shin Hanga publisher Shozaburo Watanabe. They created hundreds of woodblock prints together. Unfortunately they were destroyed in a fire during the Great Kanto earthquake. Despite the loss, Shotei continued to make woodblock prints until the end of his life.
If you would like to see more of his wonderful paintings check out the link here