Artist of the week
Hermits, birds and misty hills
Yosa Buson
Yosa Buson, the haiku poet who also painted in the nanga manner, from the late 1750s into the 1780s. Hanshan and Shide in grey robes, one turned away with a broom, the other grinning, a scroll tucked behind him. Jurōjin with a long white beard and a crane at his side, two long-tailed birds in willow and peach blossom, a thin waterfall in misty mountains, a traveller crossing a little bridge on a folding screen, and his own hokku on the New Year’s crow, written beside an old courtier.
As a puzzle
Start from the faces, the birds and the darkest ink: Jurōjin’s white beard and his crane, the blue and white bird on the peach branch, the black calligraphy beside the courtier, the dark blue brocade around two of the scrolls. Then go slowly, because the tan silk, the mist, the pale mounts and the grey wash around Hanshan and Shide are all close to one colour. Jurōjin, the birds and the misty mountains take a moderate count; the folding screen is half empty sky, so keep it low.
A good size here: 40–150 pieces.
6 pictures, pick one to build
