Artist of the Week- Ito Jakuchu

Ito Jakuchu
(1716- 1800)

Ito was the son of a Japanese grocer. He taught himself to draw and paint by imitating the work of Japanese master artists. Eventually he had enough of copying the work of others and dedicated himself to drawing and painting the things he saw. The different types of animals he saw in his garden were his favorite subjects. He never married and died at the age of 85. Though his work was never appreciated during his lifetime, 200 years after his death his work was featured at the Kyoto National Museum in Japan.

To see examples of his work, please visit these links..



Garden of Praise

Kyoto National Museum

Check back tomorrow for an art lesson on how to draw this tiger. Ito liked to paint tigers too. This is my version.