Seiho Takeuchi Mongoose with Berry Branch watercolor on paper signed. Japanese 1864-1942. The image measures 14 x 18 inches and the frame 24 x 20.5 inches. Takeuchi Seiho, born December 20, 1864 Died August 23, 1942) was the pseudonym of a Japanese painter of the nihonga genre, active from the Meiji through the early Showa period. One of the founders of nihonga, his works spanned half a century and he was regarded as master of the prewar Kyoto circle of painters. His real name was Takeuchi Tsunekichi.

Seiho was born in Kyoto. As a child, he loved to draw and wanted to become an artist. He was a disciple of Kono Bairei of the Maruyama-Shijo school of traditional painting. In 1882, two of his works received awards at the Naikoku Kaiga Kyoshinkai (Domestic Painting Competition), one of the first modern painting competitions in Japan, which launched him on his career.

During the Exposition Universelle in Paris (1900), he toured Europe, where he studied Western art. After returning to Japan he established a unique style, combining the realist techniques of the traditional Japanese Maruyama–Shijo school with Western forms of realism borrowed from the techniques of Turner and Corot. This subsequently became one of the principal styles of modern Nihonga. His favorite subjects were animals -often in amusing poses, such as a monkey riding on a horse. He was also noted for his landscapes.

From the start of the Bunten exhibitions in 1907, Seiho served on the judging committee. In 1909 he became a professor at the Kyoto Municipal College of Painting (the forerunner to the Kyoto City University of Arts). Seiho also established his own private school, the Chikujokai. Many of his students later went on to establish themselves as noted artists, including Tokuoka Shinsen and Uemura Shoen.

In 1913, Seiho was appointed as a court painter to the Imperial Household Agency, and in 1919 was nominated to the Imperial Fine Arts Academy (Teikoku Bijutsuin). He was one of the first persons to be awarded the Order of Culture when it was established in 1937.

He initially used characters for the first name of his pseudonym, and this name was possibly pronounced as Saiho.

Museums that have his works:
Yamatane Museum, Important Cultural Property,Tokyo National Museum, Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art,Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, Imperial Household Agency, sannomaru shozokan, Kachu'an Takeuchi Seiho Memorial gallery.

Notable pupils: Uemura Shoen, Ono Chikkyo, Tsuchida Bakusen, Nishimura Go'un, Hashimoto Kansetsu. Bio information obtained from Wilipedia.org. References:
Araki, Tsune (ed), Dai Nihon shôga meika taikan, Tokyo 1975 (1934), p.1633
Conant, Ellen P., Nihonga, transcending the past: Japanese-style painting, 1868-1968, Saint Louis 1995, p. 322-323
Harada, Heisaku, Takeuchi Seihô, Kyoto 1981
Morioka, Michiyo and Paul Berry, Modern Masters of Kyoto, Seattle 1999, pp. 130-137
Roberts, Laurance P., A Dictionary of Japanese artists, New York, 1976, p.171 *** If you wish to see examples of similar items we have sold and/or appraised please go to our affiliate site www.OneofaKindAntiques.com and click the Archives / Homepage logo ***

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