Magnolia Blossoms

The outline of the blossoms in contrasting tones of concentrated black and diluted gray inks is a signature calligraphic technique perfected by Ikeno no Taiga. By holding his brush at an angle, rather than in the usual vertical manner, Taiga was able to produce a greater tonal variation and nuanced effect within a single stroke.

Taiga began studying calligraphy at age two with Obaku Zen monks, and when he turned fourteen, he opened a small shop selling painted fans. Stories of his unorthodox behavior—keeping his shop records in archaic Chinese, for example—added intrigue to Taiga’s reputation as a skilled painter and calligrapher. Although Taiga’s early work was guided first by Chinese and then Korean models, he developed an individualistic style that infused Nanga School painting—the Japanese version of the Chinese and Korean Southern School tradition of scholar-amateur painting in brush and ink washes—of the period with inventive freshness. In this mature scroll, for example, masterful brushwork and veils of subtle color blend in an elegant composition depicting an upward arching magnolia plant in springtime bloom.