Japanese Ink and Wash Scroll Painting by Watanabe Seitei

Watanabe Seitei, also known as Watanabe Shotei (1851–1918), was born in late Edo period. He was one of the earliest Japanese artists who visited and became well-known in the West. In 1878, he travelled to France and attended International Exhibition in Paris and stayed for three years. Due to his exposure to the art in the west, his work, known as Nihonga (Japanese-style), blended a sense of Western realism with Japanese approach to aesthetics by using ink wash and delicate colors. He is also well known for the designs he created for cloisonné artist Namikawa Sosuke (1847–1910), whose work became quite famous and collectible in the west at the beginning of the 20th century. His artistic style had an important and long impact on the later Nihonga painters.
The scroll on offer was painted on silk with ink and color wash. It depicts a winter snowy scene of a thatched roof house perched on the edge of rocky pond in a mountainous landscape. . The approach is minimal, using simple and often repetitive strokes and controlled wash, in the same essence as impressionism, to effectively create an ambient yet clear image. The silk painting was mounted with brocade borders as a traditional scroll for hanging. Singed "Seitei" with a deal on the lower left. When hanging, the measurement is 22' x 82" with the image size being 15" x 41". The measurement posted is the size of the storage wood box.