Conversing learnedly in a garden landscape

Nanga is the Japanese interpretation of Chinese literati painting and constituted a major art movement in the Edo period (1603-1868). Nanga means 'Southern painting' and the work refers to the Chinese theory of the Northern and Southern schools of painting: Northern school indicating colourful, detailed conservative painting; Southern school indicating spontaneous, skilful, yet very personal ink paintings. The two main characteristics of this school - reflected in this painting - are a love of virtuoso brushwork and a love of Nature. The outstanding master of the Nanga school was Ike-no-Taiga (1723 - 1776), and while little is known about Aiseki, it seems likely that he studied directly with Taiga. Aiseki's debt to Taiga can be seen in his modelling of trees and in the patterns of foliage. Aiseki is acknowledged as one of the three famous "seki" painters (so called after the last character of their names) of the early 19th century.

Calligraphy is always an important element of nanga paintings because the meaning of the characters can so often add an extra dimension to the whole painting. While the characters of "seiwa" mean "elevated conversation divorced from the mundane" and allude to the two literati men conversing learnedly in the landscape, the same word "seiwa" also means tranquility and the warm season of the year when the skies are clear. These extra connotations add depth and meaning to what is a skilfully painted yet stylistically idiosyncratic painting.