Sesshū Tōyō
Japanese artist (1420-1506) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sesshū Tōyō (雪舟 等楊, c. 1420 – August 26, 1506), also called Sesshū (雪舟), was a Japanese Zen monk and painter. He is thought to be a master of Japanese ink painting. He was inspired by Chinese landscapes. His work has a Japanese style that shows Zen and Buddhism.[1] His famous work was of landscapes, portraits, birds, and flower paintings. These works all had Zen Buddhist beliefs, and a flattened perspective.[2]
Sesshū | |
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Title |
|
Personal | |
Born | c. 1420 |
Died | 26 August 1506 (aged 85–86) |
Religion | Buddhism |
School | Rinzai |
Senior posting | |
Teacher | Tenshō Shūbun |
Sesshū was born into the samurai Oda family (小田家) and trained at Shōkoku-ji temple in Kyoto as a Zen monk.[1] From his childhood, Sesshū showed talent for painting. He eventually became known throughout Japan as a wise Zen scholar. He was soon called the greatest painter priest of Zen-Shu.[3]
Sesshū trained under Tenshō Shūbun (c. 1418–1463). After Sesshū visited China, he was inspired to include it in his own work. His paintings began to have a unique Chinese and Japanese style..[3] Sesshū's influence on painting was so large that many schools of art made him their founder.[4] Sesshū's most famous works are Winter Landscape (c. 1470s), Birds and Flowers (1420–1506) and Four Landscape Scrolls of the Seasons (1420–1506).