Background
Shonen Suzuki was born in 1849 in Kyoto, Japan. Childhood name: Ken. He was the son of Suzuki Hyakunen, the founder of the Suzuki school of painting, and succeeded his father as head of that school.
松年 鈴木
Shonen Suzuki was born in 1849 in Kyoto, Japan. Childhood name: Ken. He was the son of Suzuki Hyakunen, the founder of the Suzuki school of painting, and succeeded his father as head of that school.
Shônen was trained by his father, and appeared alongside him and a number of other artists at the second Kyoto Exposition in 1873. His style, however, contrasted strongly with that of his father, in that his works were much bolder.
Shônen would later go on to show at a number of other expositions both domestic and foreign, winning prizes at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. In 1907, he declined an invitation to sit on the jury of the first Bunten exhibition, claiming that officials, ignorant of art, would meddle in the jury's decisions.
A versatile artist, Shônen is known not only for his landscapes, but also for bird and flower paintings as well as figural paintings, not only in monochrome ink, but often also making use of color and gold. His ink & brush styles and techniques clearly draw upon literati, Kanô school, and Maruyama and Shijô school styles, but Shônen's work might show most the influence of the work of Soga Shôhaku. One of his most common themes was the pine tree, the "Shô" in his name, Shônen, being the character for "pine."
Silhouette of a man seated on a platform enjoying the scenery
(Descriptive title)
1881Tiger
Waterfall
Deep Snow
Daruma Fan Print
Morning Scene
KOI (carp)
Pine Tree and the Sun
Lotus Lake
Monkey
Fishing under Cherry Blossoms
Mt. Fuji at dawn
Rock and River
The Monarch of the Mountain
Praying Mantis
Locomotive and Steam Boats
Landscape: Bamboo Grove, Birds, and Man with Ox
Looking Outside
Landscape: Boat in Rocky Stream
Silhouette of priest
Cranes and the Rising Sun
painting
The Twelve Months
Chinese court woman
Misty Mountains
1895Evening Scene
Fisherman in Rain
Waterfall
Silhouette of a fisherman and a child
1881Daikoku - The God of Fortune
Landscape: Hermit's Hut under Trees
Eagle
Landscape: Willow Tree and Fisherman with Net
Misty Night
1900Snail
Silhouette of A Woman Seated at A Roadside
1881Mt. Fuji
1900painting
1880Dragon
1880Many other artists supplemented their income by painting designs for textiles, Shônen not only disparaged such activities as not being true art, but disparaged those artists who engaged in such activities as well. A rivalry and animosity between him and Shijô school head Kôno Bairei was particularly strong.
In addition, Shonen Suzuki was quite self-confident and outspoken and flaunted his wealth and artistic ability. He had a house lavishly constructed to resemble a temple, and came to be known for his bold tendency to openly criticize other artists.
Shônen kept many mistresses, and had an affair with painter Uemura Shôen which resulted in a son, Uemura Shôko, who also grew up to be an accomplished artist.