Japanese art: The Kamakura Period
The Kamakura Period
In the Kamakura period (late 12th–14th cent.) the country was governed by the military, which preferred boldness to refinement, action to contemplative atmosphere, and realism to formality. The new class created a demand for paintings and sculptures portraying officials, warriors, priests, and poets. The school of the sculptor Jocho was continued by Kokei, Kaikei, and Unkei, the principal Kamakura sculptor. These artists imbued their works with a vigor and attention to realistic detail that was never equaled.
Takanobu and his son Nobuzane were the most esteemed portrait painters of the age. Most of the fine
Sections in this article:
- Introduction
- Recent Japanese Art
- The Edo Period to the Twentieth Century
- The Momoyama Period
- The Muromachi Period
- The Kamakura Period
- The Fujiwara Period
- The Nara Period
- Buddhist and Chinese Influences
- Early Works
- Bibliography
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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