The Artist's Role

During the Heian period (794-1185) the Fujiwara family dominated the royal court and in doing so dominated the cultural world as well. While pushing a sense of refinement and sophistication within the royal court this cultural class dominated the literary and visual arts.Women were great contributors to the arts and were noted not only for their poetry and mythical tales, but also for their novels which were centered around courtly romances. Delicate lines, strong colors and asymmetrical compositions are all characteristic of the “Women’s hand style”. While the women wrote and illustrated their refined courtly tales, the men concentrated on battles, controversies and historical anthologies. Strong ink and lively brushwork focusing on subjects outside of court are characteristics of the “Men’s hand style”. Professional artists at this time were hired by the court to aid in the production on the Handscrolls. At times a team of artists would be assembled for one literary piece, including calligraphers, colorists and a master painter. The master painter would outline several illustrations per chapter in fine brush strokes, which would indicate the color scheme. The colorists would create texture and pattern by building up layers of color to the composition. The master painter would then come back through and reinforce the outlines and finishing touches. Artists were also hired by aristocrats to produce stories for self-expression and personal libraries. Such artists were not held in as high degree as those commissioned by the court and were labeled amateur artists. However,these artists flourished as the need for literary pieces became in high demand amongst the aristocrats. (Ballew)