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Nagazawa Rosetsu

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Nagazawa Rosetsu (1755 - 1799) was active/lived in Japan.  Nagazawa Rosetsu is known for Edo period painting and ink drawing.

Nagasawa Rosetsu (????, 1754–1799) was an 18th-century (Edo period) Japanese painter of the Maruyama School, known for his versatile style. He was born to the family of a low-ranking samurai. He studied with Maruyama Okyo in Kyoto.

There are conflicting versions of Rosetsu's family origins, but the most credible appears to be that he was born to the family of a low-ranking samurai named Uesugi Hikouemon in the area of modern Kyoto Prefecture. Upon establishing himself as an artist, he changed his name from Uesugi to Nagasawa. He moved to Kyoto in 1781, where he became a student of Maruyama Okyo.

Rosetsu was married and had four children, all of whom died in childhood. He adopted his pupil Nagasawa Roshu. Rosetsu, his children, and his pupil are buried in a Kyoto cemetery belonging to the Pure Land Sect, although Rosetsu was a lay student of Zen.

Rosetsu's early period works are in the style of Maruyama Okyo, although critics agree that the pupil's skill quickly sur   ...  [Displaying 1000 of 3701 characters.]  Artist bio

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Similar artists

.  There are 24 similar (related) artists for Nagazawa Rosetsu available:    Mori Sosen,  Ito Jakuchu,  Kyosai Kawanabe,  Maruyama Okyo,  Suzuki Kiitsu,  Sakai Hoitsu,  Kogyo Terasaki,  Kei Shibusawa,  Yuki Ogura,  Koko Fukazawa,  Gaho Hashimoto,  Hanabusa Itcho,  Seiko Sawada,  Hideki No,  Kigen Nakagawa,  Rei Kamoi,  Ike no Taiga,  Soga Shohaku,  Takanori Kinoshita,  Tessai Tomioka,  Ekaku Hakuin,  Takuji Nakamura,  Yoshiro Yanagisawa,  Noriyoshi Sakaguchi



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Facts about Nagazawa Rosetsu

   Nagazawa Rosetsu  Born:  1755 - Yamashiro, Japan
Died:   1799 - Osaka, Japan
Known for:  Edo period painting and ink drawing
Name variants:  Rosetsu Nagasawa

Biography from the Archives of askART

Nagasawa Rosetsu (長沢芦雪, 1754–1799) was an 18th-century (Edo period) Japanese painter of the Maruyama School, known for his versatile style. He was born to the family of a low-ranking samurai. He studied with Maruyama Ōkyo in Kyoto.

There are conflicting versions of Rosetsu's family origins, but the most credible appears to be that he was born to the family of a low-ranking samurai named Uesugi Hikouemon in the area of modern Kyoto Prefecture. Upon establishing himself as an artist, he changed his name from Uesugi to Nagasawa. He moved to Kyoto in 1781, where he became a student of Maruyama Ōkyo.

Rosetsu was married and had four children, all of whom died in childhood. He adopted his pupil Nagasawa Roshū. Rosetsu, his children, and his pupil are buried in a Kyoto cemetery belonging to the Pure Land Sect, although Rosetsu was a lay student of Zen.

Rosetsu's early period works are in the style of Maruyama Ōkyo, although critics agree that the pupil's skill quickly surpassed his master's. Finally, they had a falling out and Rosetsu left the school. After the break, he worked under the patronage of the feudal lord of Yodo and accepted commissions at several temples.

Rosetsu's paintings fall into two very clearly defined categories, with no halfway stage in between. On the one hand, there are those of studied finish, and on the other, those--the great majority--that were clearly the work of a very few minutes of intense activity, whatever the preliminary thought and calculation. We are inclined to think of the first type as early and even untypical, but in fact Rosetsu seems to have executed carefully finished paintings at all stages of his career.

He incorporated aspects of Western realism into Japanese themes. In his work, which is reminiscent of earlier Zen painting, while the moon is left white, the night sky, mountains, and pine trees are depicted with gradations of India ink.

His work was extensively forged in the Meiji period.

His works are kept in many museums worldwide, including the Dallas Museum of Art, the Walters Art Museum, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Princeton University Art Museum, the Harvard Art Museums, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the University of Michigan Museum of Art, the British Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College, the Cleveland Museum of Art, BAMPFA, the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Asian Art Museum.

Source:
Wikipedia, 2021



Biography from Christie's New York, Rockefeller Center

Rosetsu, along with Soga Shohaku and Ito Jakuchu, was at the cutting edge of his times. The three were known as the "Three Eccentrics,” which meant painting in a highly individualistic manner, but was also related to character.

Rosetsu, for example, was known as something of an argumentative hothead and his behavior and excessive drinking are part of the background that adds to the enjoyment of his pictures. The son of a low-ranking samurai, he decided early on to study with Maruyama Okyo in Kyoto, but soon opened his own studio, discarded his teacher’s careful realism, and went on to become a pioneer of modernist expressionism.

He died on an outing to Osaka at the age of only forty-six—some say an envious rival put poison in his boxed lunch. Others tell of him slitting his throat due to financial troubles. What is certain is that he was unusually confident and relished novelty, with a streak of vulgarity. He was quick-witted, versatile and had exceptional technical skill.

Rosetsu creates mischievous, comical birds and beasts with attitude and character.


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