Fukuda Kodojin | Landscape painting
The eccentricity of the paintings by Fukuda Kodojin resembles that seen in the works of many other self-taught literati painters in Japan. Even though Chinese literati ideals celebrated the concept of amateurism, Chinese literati painters usually attained near professional levels of brush technique. In Japan, however, many artists, Kodojin among them, respected this amateur ideal by training themselves, taking pride in their naive but vigorous brushwork. In this Kodojin followed the lead of earlier self-taught literati painters, such as Uragami Gyokudo, Kameda Bosai, and Hosokawa Rinkoku, who employed irregular styles of brushwork. (Paul Berry, in: Modern Masters of Kyoto, p. 216)
"Originally noted more for his poetry than his painting, Kodojin set the tone for his landscapes through his inscriptions. Self taught in painting, the eccentric poet-painter created landscapes in a variety of unusual styles." (Paul Berry, in: Literati Modern, p. 152)
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Fukuda Kodojin (1865-1944)
Landscape
Ink on paper
142.5 x 38.7 cm (56 x 15 1/4 in.)
Mounting 192 x 51 cm (75 1/2 x 20 in.)
Original box, dated 1908