Ogata, Kōrin (1658–1716)

Japanese painter and designer. His style is highly decorative, typically combining brightly coloured, naturalistic and stylized elements against a gold background. Iris Screen from the early 18th century (Nezu Art Museum, Tokyo) is one of his best-known works.

The son of a rich silk merchant of Kyoto, he was related to the painters Kōetsu and Sotātsu and admired and was influenced by their work. Trained in the classic Kano style, he diverged from it in a bold and simplified style of his own. His vigour and breadth of design are shown in his lacquer screens. In smaller paintings he showed great mastery of calligraphic brushwork. His art was forgotten for some time after his death but was re-established in esteem by his follower Sakai Hōitsu (1771–1828), who published his paintings and designs in woodcut books.