Animals Painted by Kawanabe Kyōsai Are Creepy Cute!?
Lovable Animals Drawn by Masterful Brushwork
Kawanabe Kyōsai’s paintings of animals are characterized by their remarkable use of anthropomorphism and their ability to look remarkably realistic and natural, despite their bizarre angles and improbable appearance. Kawanabe Kyōsai was dedicated to the practice of sketching, and he was able to capture in his mind every gesture and momentary expression of the animals. It was for this reason that he was able to depict animals in all their impossible forms, with a sense of humor that was both endearing and funny. This is the result of his keen powers of observation, backed up by his unique sensitivity, and the overwhelming power of his painting skills, which only Kyōsai could have mastered. All of Gyosai’s “creepy-cute” paintings can be found in his animal paintings.
Kawanabe Kyōsai’s Humor Is no less than the Source of Caricatures, the “Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga, Animal-person Caricatures”.
The national treasure of the Heian period, the “Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga, Animal-person Caricatures”, is a supreme picture scroll and the starting point of manga. As some painters of the Kanō school practiced copying this masterpiece (such as Kanō Tan-yū), it is possible that Kyōsai, who briefly belonged to the Kanō school, also learned the basics of animal painting from this painting. Kawanabe Kyōsai’s ‘Animal-person Caricatures’ are filled with a keen eye and a sense of humor that makes them inexplicably funny.
His Impromptu Ink Drawings Are Also Full of Witty Humor.
This work is said to be one of a collection of about 50 paintings, Kyōsai’s art book. They were likely painted extemporaneously at a banquet in response to requests from guests. This is evidenced by the marks of tatami mats around the elephant’s neck. A big elephant is playing with a small raccoon, and it is a very funny picture.
Make Frogs Pull Rickshaws! He’s also a Genius at Thinking out of the Box!
The frog, blowing a cigarette on a rickshaw made of lotus leaves, is splendidly lounging on the car. This work is the quintessence of Kawanabe Kyōsai’s attempt to depict a kind of microcosm of human society by anthropomorphizing animals. It is also interesting to note that the telephone poll has been transformed into a lotus stem and flower.
