Minneapolis Institute of Art

Up-to-Date Self-Instruction Manual for Painting (Tōga hitori geiko)

Japan

Date: 1848
Medium: Woodblock printed book, ink on paper, with hand-applied color
Department: Asian Art
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Art

How do you draw a persimmon? An aspiring painter or curious reader could refer to the Up-to-Date Self-Instruction Manual for Painting for an answer. The book, initially published in 1816, shows readers how to paint throughoffers step-by-step instructions and textual explanations. The book offers pointers on how to paint 28 fruits and plants, including a peach, persimmon, pear, eggplant, bamboo shoots, apples, chestnuts, radishes, edible wild plants, mushrooms, melons and gourds, and beans. A color-printed image provides an example of what the final picture should look like, while a numbered line drawing shows the basic skeleton of the subject. A persimmon, for example, takes 12 strokes. A short accompanying text further explicates how to apply color to the line drawing. Japan, Asia

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