Maruyama Ōkyo
It is Monday. Why not to sweeten it with ... PUPPIES???
Maruyama Ōkyo was one of the most influential Japanese painters of the Edo period and the founder of the Maruyama school. He became famous for combining traditional Japanese brushwork with an unusually close observation of the visible world. One of his major innovations was sketching directly from nature, studying the appearance and anatomy of his subjects rather than relying solely on established artistic conventions. This approach, together with his knowledge of Western pictorial techniques, brought a new sense of realism and three-dimensionality to Japanese painting. Even when Ōkyo worked with the broad, fluid brushstrokes of traditional ink painting, as he does here, careful foreshortening gives his subjects convincing weight and volume. He painted everything from landscapes and human figures to birds and animals, but his playful puppies became particularly beloved. Tumbling, nuzzling, and clambering over one another, they reveal another side of Ōkyo’s talent, full of warmth and humor.
P.S. Maruyama Ōkyo's work is featured in our best-selling Animals in Japanese Art 50 Postcards set. Check it out in our DailyArt Shop!
P.P.S. Ōkyo wasn’t the only artist to find inspiration in our four-legged friends. Meet some of the most memorable dogs in art history.