ran'youbyou　蘭葉描

KEY WORD :　art history / paintings

Ch: lanyemiao. Lit. orchid-leaf drawing. A style of ink-painting using fluid, modulated lines that resemble the leaves of an orchid plant ran 蘭. The thickness of the line in ran'youbyou is varied by increasing or decreasing pressure on the brush point. This modulation can be used to indicate the folds of drapery in figural representations or various other representational effects. Wu Daotzu (Jp: Go Doushi 呉道子, early 8c), the near legendary Tang painter, is credited with having developed the ran'youbyou technique. This brush style is particularly prevalent in Southern Song Taoist and Chan (Jp: Zen 禅) figure painting *doushakuga 道釈画. It is unclear when the style of painting was first transmitted to Japan but it became widespread there during the 12c. A famous Japanese example of orchid-leaf drawing in figural painting is the pair of folding screens Twelve Kings, Juuniten byoubu 十二天屏風 by Takuma Shouga 詫磨勝賀 (fl. ca.1166-1209) dated 1191 in Touji 東寺, Kyoto.

REFERENCES:

*jinbutsu juuhachibyou 人物十八描

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