Chestnuts 1841

hanging-scroll, ink

toned paper

water colours

japan

possibly oil pastel

handmade artwork painting

hanging-scroll

ink

linocut print

coffee painting

watercolour bleed

watercolour illustration

botanical art

watercolor

calligraphy

"Chestnuts" is a hanging scroll created in 1841 by Japanese artist Nakabayashi Chikutō (1776–1853). This artwork is a delicate and detailed depiction of a chestnut tree branch with its spiky fruits and leaves, painted on a light tan background. The scroll exemplifies Chikutō's expertise in the *bunjinga* style, a highly esteemed form of painting in the Edo period that emphasized simplicity, elegance, and a connection to nature. "Chestnuts" is currently on display at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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Nakabayashi Chikuto was a leading painter and theorist within a circle of mid-19th century Japanese scholars who were intensely interested in Chinese literati ideals. Chikuto specialized in Chinese-style landscape painting, but he also produced a number of works that were probably inspired by the careful approach of the Chinese master Yun Shou-ping (1633-1690). Although Yun himself did not leave China, his style became known in Japan through the works of other artists as well as by the importation of paintings in his technique. Like Yun, Chikuto_'s brushwork was refined, and his colors are subtle rather than brilliant. He also used Yun's "boneless" technique of applying ink or pigment directly to the silk without constricting outlines.