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Authentic Meiji Period Japanese Woodblock Print Dragon byMaruyama Ōkyo - $140 (Newton/Wellesley/Needham)
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The artist Maruyama Ōkyo (丸山応挙 1733–1795) was an 18th‑century Kyoto painter who transformed Japanese art by combining close, naturalistic observation with traditional decorative formats. His paintings blend Western-style shading and perspective with Japanese compositional elegance, producing highly realistic yet refined images of flora, fauna, ghosts, and Buddhist subjects.
In Kyoto he founded the Maruyama school, teaching realism grounded in observation; the related Shijō school grew from his pupils and became a major force in late Edo painting. He received prestigious commissions from temples, wealthy merchants, and ultimately the imperial court, and his approach influenced Japanese painting well into the 19th century.