Kiitsu Suzuki (鈴木其一, 1796–1858) was one of the most eminent painters of the late Edo period and a key member of the Rinpa school of Japanese painting. He was born in Edo (modern-day Tokyo) in 1796, but little is known about his family background. According to traditional sources, his father was a purplery artisan from Ōmi province, but some modern researchers claim that Kiitsu might have come from the lower class of samurai families. No matter what his true origin was, Kiitsu lived at a time when Edo became a political and cultural capital of Japan. The developing culture of Edo period, characterized by the rise of painting, literature and arts, created a perfect environment for young painters. The period in which Kiitsu’s artistic career gained momentum is the time when he became the disciple of Sakai Hōitsu, who was known as an eminent Rinpa artist, in 1813, at the approximate age of eighteen. Hōitsu revitalised the Rinpa school of art in Edo through the adaptation of the decorative technique of artists such as Tawaraya Sōtatsu and Ogata Kōrin in accordance with the tastes prevailing in the Tokugawa capital. Hōitsu provided training in composition, brushwork, painting, and decorative techniques to his disciple Kiitsu and Kiitsu emerged as an outstanding artist among others owing to his exceptional talent. He was the closest disciple of his teacher Hōitsu. When Hōitsu’s senior disciple Suzuki Reitan died, Kiitsu married the sister of Suzuki and adopted the Suzuki family name.
Artistic Career and Major Works
In his artistic career, Suzuki Kiitsu created various types of paintings such as folding screens (byōbu), hanging scrolls, sliding-door paintings (fusuma), fans and decorative panels. Some of the favorite motifs he used in his paintings were flowers of all seasons, birds, insects, landscapes, mythological figures and scenes from traditional Japanese literature. One of the most famous paintings of Suzuki Kiitsu is Asagao-zu Byōbu, which is considered his masterpiece. Here we see a beautiful blue flower of morning glory painted dramatically on a golden background; this image is considered one of the symbols of Japanese art of the nineteenth century. The other famous paintings by Suzuki Kiitsu include Summer and Autumn Mountain Stream, Wind God and Thunder God, Irises and Moth, Long-tailed Fowl with Magnolia, and The Thirty-Six Poetic Geniuses. Although Kiitsu initially painted in a style similar to Hōitsu’s, he soon developed his own style after the latter’s death in 1828. Unlike the works of the early Rinpa artists whom he did not copy blindly, his paintings were unique, in the sense that they had strong composition, vivid colors, and a keen observation of nature. His works also became bigger in size and were characteristically dynamic and elegant. According to art historians, whereas the works of Hōitsu were known for elegance and simplicity, those of Kiitsu were known for their vivid color contrasts and dynamism in compositions.
Artistic Style and Characteristics
The art of Suzuki Kiitsu was known for its rich and bright color palette, dynamism of composition, and elaborate decorative qualities. The use of gold-leaf backgrounds, rich mineral paints, and balanced natural elements became the distinctive features of his mature artistic style. Contrary to many other Rinpa artists, who were famous for their stylization techniques, Kiitsu made a close study of plants, flowers, birds, and insects before turning them into an ornamental composition. In this way, he succeeded in blending the features of realism and ornamentation in his works. According to art historian Frank L. Chance, Suzuki Kiitsu was able to develop the Edo Rinpa in terms of monumentality and expressiveness but still retained its decorative character. It is the ability to be innovative within the framework of the established traditions that makes Kiitsu the outstanding artist of nineteenth century Japan.
Contribution to the Rinpa School
Kiitsu Suzuki was a very important figure in maintaining and cultivating the Rinpa tradition after the passing away of Sakai Hōitsu. Even though he never formally succeeded Hōitsu in becoming the head of the school, he came out as the dominant painter of Rinpa style in Edo through his art and teachings. Kiitsu had many students who followed him, such as his son, Suzuki Shuitsu (1823–1889). The group of artists surrounding Kiitsu later became known as the Kiitsu School, which turned out to be one of the most prominent schools of Edo Rinpa. By virtue of his work, he made sure that Rinpa style of art remained alive in the last years of the Tokugawa era and also in the initial years of the Meiji era. Kiitsu was mostly occupied with painting during the last years of his life. In about 1842, Kiitsu delegated his duties as head of the Suzuki household to his eldest son so that he could dedicate himself entirely to his art. His artworks done in maturity show increased confidence and technical mastery. He got commissions from daimyo families, temples, and prosperous merchants, which attests to the high status he held among his Edo-period patrons. Even though the Tokugawa shogunate era was witnessing a lot of change politically and socially, Kiitsu continued working as a painter up to his death in Edo in 1858.
Legacy
Despite being considered in the past mainly as the best pupil of Sakai Hōitsu, recent academic research has re-evaluated Suzuki Kiitsu’s individual creative contribution. It is now understood that he was not just a pupil but one of the key reformers of the Edo Rinpa style of painting. Works by him are currently housed at famous collections like Metropolitan Museum of Art, Nezu Museum, Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, and national museums in Japan. Nowadays, Suzuki Kiitsu is acknowledged as one of the best decorative artists of nineteenth-century Japan whose bright palette, skillful composition, and innovative interpretation of the Rinpa style earned him the status of the great Japanese artist.