Kishi /Shijô
“Proud father and son” Tao Yuanming relaxing in a boatSigned: Gan Ku
Seals: Ganku Funzen
Technique: colours on silk 85.8 x 32.3
Mounting: bronze damask and olive green silk 12.5 x 45.8
Box: inscribed
Condition: good
Tao Yuanming (approximately 365-427), also known as Tao Qian, with the courtesy name Yuanliang, and privately nicknamed Mr. Jingjie by his friends. He was a native of Chaisang County , Xunyang County, a scholar-official and poet from the Eastern to the Southern Song Dynasty in China. In his early years, Tao Yuanming successively held official positions such as Jiangzhou Jijiu joining the Army, and the Pengze County Magistrate , but each term was short. Later, he was dissatisfied with the corruption. Determined to live in seclusion and work hard to make a living. The style of Tao's poems is calm and distant, natural. He was known as a reclusive poet. and his works had a huge impact on later generations and held a high status in the history of literature.
Gan Ku was born in Kanazawa where he worked in the service of a dyer. In 1780 he moved to Kyoto to study various painting styles. He shaped the Kishi style from elements of the Kanô style, as well as Nanga, Maruyama and Shijô. With Maruyama Ôkyo (1733-1795) and Go Shun (1752-1811), Gan Ku was an influential advocate of the shasei style (painting from nature).
Ranked high on the rating list of famous people of Kyoto, the Heian jinbutsu shi, Gan Ku was considered a prominent painter and throughout the 19th century the Kishi School was seen as one of the most important Kyoto schools.
Reference:
Ritto - Kishiha pp. 5-36
Roberts p. 28
Araki pp. 1162-1167
Kyoto '98 p. 275
Hillier '74 pp. 213-222
Price: EUR 900 / USD 954
