Shen Nanpin

Shen Nanpin or Shen Nan-p'in, 沈南蘋 (c. 1682 - c. 1780), also known as Shen Ch'uan, was a Chinese painter whose realistic bird-and-flower paintings became highly influential in Japanese Edo period art.

Shen was born in Wuxing, Zhejiang, and a relatively unknown literati painter when invited to Japan by a high official. He arrived in Nagasaki in the final month of 1731 with two students, acquiring many Japanese students after his arrival. His paintings soon became very popular, and after his 1733 return to China he continued to send paintings back to Japan. Shen had many pupils while in Japan; his most important was Kumashiro Yūhi 熊代熊斐 (1693/1713-72), who in turn taught Sō Shiseki 宋紫石 (1712-86) and Kakutei 鶴艇 (1722-85). Other artists influenced by Shen included Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎 (1760-1849), Maruyama Ōkyo 円山応挙 (1733-95), and Ganku 岸駒 (1749/56-1838).

Shen's paintings were popularity for their realistic, colored images of animals and flowers, and three-dimensional trees and rocks.

References

* [http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/n/nanpinha.htm JAANUS biography]
* [http://www.answers.com/topic/shen-nanpin-3 Answers.com biography]
* Fritz van Briessen, "The Way of the Brush: Painting Techniques of China and Japan", Tuttle Publishing, 1999, pages 199-200. ISBN 0804831947.