Posted by John Fiorillo on October 02, 1998 at 03:50:02:
In Reply to: Isoda Koryusai posted by jbk on October 01, 1998 at 13:49:25:
: Could anyone suggest a good source material for background on Koryusai. Term paper time. Thanks
Response from JF:
I agree with Philippe Callier in regard to the usefulness of the many illustrations in Gentles’ Buckingham Collection volume. A judgement of Koryûsai’s works should include a review of as many prints as possible, so that would be a good place to start. Unfortunately, there is no definitive work in English on the artist, and many commentaries offer only superficial reviews, while a few disseminate misleading conclusions. I would always be careful with Ficke (no matter which artist he writes about), whose effusive prose and biased outdated frame of reference (after all, his book was published in 1915) sometimes overwhelms his contributions. For example, he praises Koryûsai’s achievements in hashira-e (pillar prints), certainly a deserved praise, but ignores entirely the shunga (erotic prints), which critics such as Richard Lane judge to be his most original contribution. Eiko Kondo’s essay on Koryûsai (accompanied by about 80 small illustrations of paintings, chûban, ôban, hashira-e, ehon, and shunga) in Ukiyo-e Prints and Paintings: From the Early Masters to Shunshô (Museo d’Arte Orientale, Chiossone collection, Genoa; 1980) is useful and, though brief in its introduction, well balanced. There you will see an acknowledgment not only of Koryûsai’s pillar prints but also his kacho-e (bird and flower prints), his series of courtesans in the ôban format, and his little known picture books done in a cursive style.