Spring Snow (Shunsetsu)

Takeuchi Seihō was the pseudonym of a Japanese painter active from the Meiji to the early Shōwa period, who was part of the nihonga genre. Nihonga literally translates to 'Japanese-style paintings'. The paintings were made in accordance with the traditional Japanese artistic conventions, techniques and materials. As one of the founders of the genre, the artist's works spanned half a century and he was regarded as a master of the pre-war Kyoto circle of painters. Due to his travels in Europe, he was exposed to several western styles and ideas. Visiting the Dresden Zoo, he was able to see a lion for the first time and painted it for one of his screens. Another of his works were two panels of elephants. Later in his life he returned to the more traditional Japanese motifs and painted smaller animals such as cats and fish. The artist’s real name was Takeuchi Tsunekichi.