Yamato-e

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Yamato-e (大和絵) is a style of Japanese painting inspired by Tang dynasty paintings and developed in the late Heian period. It is considered the classical Japanese style. From Muromachi period(15th century), this term Yamato-e has been used as opposed to contemporary Chinese style painting: kara-e, which was inspired by Sung and Yuan dynasty Zen Buddhism paintings. The Yamato-e often tell narrative themes with text along with them, show the beauty of nature, e.g. famous places (meisho-e 名所絵), and the four seasons (shiki-e 四季絵). The pictures are non-symbolic and have the objective of depicting the beauty in nature, as Buddha's incarnation. The pictures are often on scrolls that can be hung on a wall (掛け物, kakemono) or handscrolls (emakimono) that could be read from right to left with the accompanied story or on a folding screen (byoubu, 屏風) or panel (shouji, 障子). Although they received their name from the Yamato period (大和), Yamato-e pictures rather stand for a style and are not restricted to a particular period. Although the most famous artists painted in suiboku style in the Muromachi period, this was not characteristic of early pictures.

Yamato-e had a great influence on the Rimpa (琳派) and ukiyo-e (浮世絵) styles, as well as the Nihonga (日本画).

Contents 1 Yamato-e artists 2 References 3 See also 4 External links

[edit] Yamato-e artists

Famous artists include:

• Kose Kanaoka
• Tosa Mitsuoki
• Tosa Mitsunobu

Genji Emaki 12th cent.

Genji Monogatari Illustration by Tosa Mitsuoki

UJI Bridge Screen, 17th cent.

[edit] References

• A history of Japan, R. H. P. Mason, J. G. Caiger, Tuttle Publishing; Revised edition (November 1, 1997), ISBN 0-8048-2097-X
• msn - Far Eastern Art

[edit] See also

• Sumi-e

[edit] External links

• Britannica article