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Ogata Korin

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OGATA KORIN ( c. 1657-1716), Japanese painter and lacquerer, was born at Koto, the son of a wealthy merchant who had a taste for the arts and is said to have given his son some elementary instruction therein. Korin also studied under Soken Yamamoto, Kano, Tsunenobu and Gukei Sumiyoshi; and he was greatly influenced by his predecessors Koyetsu and Sotatsu. On arriving at maturity, however, he broke away from all tradition, and developed a very original and quite distinctive style of his own, both in painting and in the decoration of lacquer. The characteristic of this is a bold impressionism, which is expressed in few and simple highly idealized forms, with an absolute disregard either of realism or of the usual conventions. In lacquer Korin's use of white metals and of mother-of-pearl is notable; but herein he followed Koyetsu. Korin died on the 2nd of June 1716, at the age of fifty-nine. His chief pupils were Kagei Tatebashi and Shiko Watanable; but the present knowledge and appreciation of his work are largely due to the efforts of Hoitsu Sakai, who brought about a revival of Korin's style.

See A. Morrison, The Painters of Japan (1902); S. Tajima, Masterpieces selected from the Korin School (1903); S. Hoitsu, The loo Designs by Korin 1(1815) and More Designs by Korin (1826).

(E. F. S.)