Nakano Kimei : Rinpa School Artist Carrying on Suzuki Kiitsu

Kōyō ni Akikusa zu (Folding Screen of the Colored Leaves and Autumn Plants)

Kōyō ni Akikusa zu (Folding Screen of the Colored Leaves and Autumn Plants) by Nakano Kimei
Kōyō ni Akikusa zu (Folding Screen of the Colored Leaves and Autumn Plants) by Nakano Kimei

Nakano Kimei was born in 1834 in Tokyo. He learned painting from Suzuki Kiitsu, a big artist of Rinpa School. It is said that he inherited the teaching method of Kiitsu well. He surely devoted himself to improve his paintings by serving the Home Ministry Museum Bureau in 1875. He was awarded a bronze seal for displaying a portrait and a bird-and-flower painting for the first Naikoku Kaiga Kyōshinkai Exhibition in 1882. For the second Naikoku Kaiga Kyōshinkai Exhibition, Kimei displayed a historical painting and a bird-and-flower painting and got a bronze seal award. He was an invaluable asset as one of few Rinpa Style artists, and also was regarded to have an excellent technique. In 1892, he passed away at the age of 58.

“Kōyō ni Akikusa zu” is painted up with autumn plants such as colored leaves, bush clovers, arrowroots, and balloon flowers. Its *mokkotsu technique and the coloring are undoubtedly those of Rinpa style, and those show the painting style of Kimei which is said to have inherited that of Kiitsu.

  • Mokkotsu: a technique where the object is expressed by the shading of “sumi” ink or color rather than by using outlines (“koppō”.) It is widely known as a technique for kachō-ga (paintings of flowers and birds).