A World of Edo Art
Yamamoto Baiitsu (1783–1856) was born in Nagoya, the son of a sculptor who died when Baiitsu was twelve. Rather than take over his father's business, he decided to train as a painter studying with either a Kanō School or a Maruyama-Shijō School mentor before earning the patronage of a merchant who collected Chinese paintings. This provided Baiitsu with access to the classical art he copied and the painting manuals he studied to perfect his ink and brush techniques. After his patron died, he moved to the capital, Edo, and then to Kyoto where he became a celebrated literati painter. Baiitsu is best known for his delicate brushwork on large-scale bird and flowers paintings.
