The work is a sketchbook of drawings of fish, plants, insects, birds, and fruits by Watanabe, Shoka. There are 32 pages altogether. Even lines with faint colors are in excellent control. In general, the heightened fascination of looking at an artist's drawings in comparison with their finished paintings or sculptures is that we feel that these allow us to look into the artist’s mind/soul directly. Paul Klee once said, “A drawing is simply a line going for a walk.” What a walk in lines Shoka Watanabe had!

Regrettably, sketchbooks by significant artists, Japanese or otherwise, have become increasingly rare, because they have been dismantled and sold individually. We are lucky to be able to show one intact.

About this Artist:

Watanabe, Shoka was the foremost pupil of Tsubaki Chinzan (1801-1854) who was himself a pupil of Watanabe Kazan (1793-1841), Shoka's father. Shoka has long stood in the shadow of his very famous father, but recently the art world has started to recognize his talent.