A World of Edo Art
Soga Shōhaku (1730–1781) was an innovative, prolific painter who created many remarkable works that are so intense and expressive that they are immediately recognizable as being by him. His father owned a dye shop in Kyoto, but he lost his parents and brother as a teenager. He moved away from Kyoto to spend some time apprenticing to painters in the provinces. He eventually moved back to Kyoto to establish his own studio and, after expanding upon his repertoire, was eventually recognized as among Kyoto's greatest painters. Along with Itō Jakuchū and Maruyama Ōkyo, he was officially listed in Who's Who in Kyoto (Heian jinbutsu shi). Shōhaku was active at a time when many artists unaffiliated with traditional studios emerged and had more freedom to innovate and express their individual styles.
