Maruyama Okyo
Maruyama Ôkyo was the founder of the Maruyama-Shijô school of Japanese painting, and the leading artist in mid-to-late 18th century Kyoto. He is particularly known for his monochrome ink paintings of traditional subjects - such as tiger and dragon - incorporating Western painting techniques such as shading and linear perspective[1], creating works which were quite innovative for their time but still look wholly Japanese traditional to the modern eye.
Life and career
The son of a farmer, Ôkyo journeyed to Kyoto as a youth and became chônin (a townsman). In his teens, he worked at a toy shop, where he worked painting dolls' faces, and produced a number of uki-e, woodblock prints highlighting Western-style linear perspective, including pieces called megane-e, intended to be viewed through a stereoscope[2].
He learned something of Western techniques by studying imported Western paintings, and used these techniques to revitalize traditional subjects while displaying a masterful command of brush and ink. In 1775, he was listed first among all painters in Kyoto, in a guide to notable people in the city[1].
He was succeeded by his pupil Matsumura Goshun, who established a studio on Shijô-dôri, from which the name of the Maruyama-Shijô school is derived. Some of Ôkyo's other students, such as Nagasawa Rosetsu, went on to work as Eccentric painters, independently of any school.
