1733～1795
Maruyama Okyo is a late Edo period painter and founder of the Maruyama school of painting. He was born in the Tanba province (present-day central Kyoto and east-central Hyogo) and went under several nicknames and pen-names. His love for painting began from childhood and learned Kano school painting under the influential painter, Ishida Yutei, in Kyoto. A pioneer of aesthetics, his works reflect the teachings of his Ishida Yutei's naturalism, the realism of master Qing Dynasty painter, Shen Quan (1682-1760), and the styles of Song and Yuan Dynasty painting. He was also known for his research on Western painting perspective. Establishing his very own new style, Maruyama's works fuse advanced naturalism with the styles of traditional decorative painting. Nagasawa Rosetsu is one of his many followers.
