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Watanabe Seitei

Japanese, 1851-1918
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Watanabe Shōtei aka Watanabe Seitei was a Nihonga painter and one of the first to visit Europe, attending the 1878 International Exhibition in Paris and being awarded a medal. Shōtei blended Western realism with the delicate colours and washes of the Kikuchi Yōsai school, introducing a new approach to kachōga or kacho (bird-and-flower painting).

Born as Yoshikawa Yoshimata, he was later adopted by the family of his father's literary friend, Watanabe Mitsue. His early studies were at age sixteen under Kikuchi Yōsai (1788–1878) after which he spent a brief time in the studio of the painter and lacquer artist, Shibata Zeshin (1807–1891).

In 1878 he travelled in the United States and Europe, remaining in Paris for three years and becoming the first Nihonga artist to live in Europe with the aim of studying Western painting.

Travel abroad was extremely difficult for Japanese artists in the early Meiji period (1868–1912), and it is unknown how Shōtei managed this. A few years earlier, in 1875, he had produced designs for an export company, which may have provided him with the necessary contacts. His works have enjoyed great popularity in the West, and a large number are to be seen in both European and American collections.

On his return from Europe, Seitei created designs for ceramics and cloisonné, working with the cloisonné artist Namikawa Sosuke (1847–1910), leading to acclaim from abroad. He maintained a prodigious output of paintings and illustrations, producing three outstanding albums: Seitei kacho gafu ('Picture album of Seitei's bird and flower'), 1890–91; Kacho gafu ('Bird and flower album'), 1903; and the last series published in 1916 also entitled Seitei kacho gafu.

Watanabe Shotei also edited and contributed to the art magazine Bijutsu Sekai (The World of Art), of which the first number was published by Wada Tokutaro in the year Meiji 23 (1890) and printed by Yoshida Ichimatsu with the blockcuts carried out by Goto Tokujiro. Besides Watanabe's illustration and that of Yoshitoshi Kyosai, there were ten other artists who contributed. Twenty-two of his bird and flower prints were published by Okura Yasugorō in 1916.

During his life he received many awards, in expositions in and out of Japan. He became a major inspiration to the following generation of Nihonga artists, notably Mizuno Toshikata (1866–1908) and Kaburagi Kiyokata (1878–1973).

32 items

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Landscape illustration

Landscape illustration

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Abstract
Morning glory illustration

Morning glory illustration

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Abstract
Autumn and water illustration

Autumn and water illustration

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Abstract
Illustration from Bijutsu Sekai

Illustration from Bijutsu Sekai

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Abstract
Seamless gold fish illustration

Seamless gold fish illustration

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Abstract
Sky illustration

Sky illustration

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Abstract
Skyscape with birds flying

Skyscape with birds flying

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Abstract
Spirit and floral motif illustration

Spirit and floral motif illustration

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Abstract
Illustration of Japanese motifs

Illustration of Japanese motifs

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Abstract
Egrets in a Tree at Night

Egrets in a Tree at Night (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
Three Birds on Branch

Three Birds on Branch (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
Fishes

Fishes (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
Flying Goose

Flying Goose (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
Goldfish

Goldfish (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
Jumping fish

Jumping fish (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
Pigeons in a Tree

Pigeons in a Tree (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
Rooster and Hen with Chicks

Rooster and Hen with Chicks (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
Roses, Young Bird and a Butterfly

Roses, Young Bird and a Butterfly (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
Seven Beauties of the Bamboo Grove

Seven Beauties of the Bamboo Grove (20th century)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Illustration
Sparrows Flying

Sparrows Flying (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
Egrets at the Water’s Edge

Egrets at the Water’s Edge (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
Eagle in a Tree

Eagle in a Tree (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
Ducks in the Rushes

Ducks in the Rushes (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
Duck

Duck (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
Crayfish

Crayfish (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
Carp swimming

Carp swimming (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
Birds on a Flowering Branch

Birds on a Flowering Branch (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
Birds on a Branch

Birds on a Branch (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
Birds and Flowers

Birds and Flowers (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
Bird on Branch Watching Spider

Bird on Branch Watching Spider (1887)

Watanabe Seitei (Japanese, 1851-1918)
Nature
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