谷文晁 Tani Buncho (1763-1840)

Nanga artist of the late Edo period. Studied under 加藤文麗 Kato Bunrei (1706-1782) and 渡辺玄対 Watanabe Gentai (1749-1822). He Studied the Kano and Nanpin schools and then moved on to Nanga, but his style was extremely eclectic, learning from Yamato-e and Western painting as well and he created his own unique style of painting. His range of paintings included Sansui landscapes, flowers and birds, figures, and Buddhist paintings, and he had a wide range of painting styles. He had an insatiable curiosity to take in anything and everything. He was both a skilled painter and a scholar, and with the support of 松平定信 Matsudaira Sadanobu (1759-1829) and others, he reigned as a major figure in the Edo art world at the time. His pupils included 渡辺崋山 Watanabe Kazan (1793-1841), 立原杏所 Tachihara Kyosho (1786-1840), and 高久靄崖 Takaku Aigai (1796-1843).