In a stunningly vibrant composition, one with abundant visual kinetic energy and surface articulation, the theme of water flowing with great rapidity over a series of falls is brought to life with immense technical facility and great imaginative flair. The composition is arranged in accord with the stable vertical and horizontal axis of the picture, but the visual impact is governed by the deviations from true vertical of the water course as it falls and by the horizontal orientation of the texture strokes applied to the surrounding rocks and cliff surfaces. Variations in textures for the trees and rocks enliven the picture plane, ensuring that the work succeeds as both picture and as painting.
Born in Nagoya, the son of a sculptor who served the Owari or Nagoya branch of the Tokugawa clan, Baiitsu early on evidenced talent in painting and studied with Yamamoto Rantei (active mid-19th century), a local Kano school painter, and then with Cho Gessho (1722-1832). But it was likely his relationship with Kamiya Ten’yu, a wealthy merchant and collector of old paintings, that gave greatest impetus to the development of Baiitsu’s career. In company with his close friend Nakabayashi Chikuto (1776-1853), Baiitsu studied early paintings and was introduced to the literati arts and values by Ten’yu and his circle of friends.
After moving to Kyoto they quickly became acquainted with literati circles and activities in that city. Although Baiitsu periodically returned to Nagoya, he was mainly in Kyoto during the period 1832-1854. The assured technique, the great beauty, and the accessibility of his paintings suggest some of the reasons for his great success in Kyoto, which could not but arouse the jealousy of other painters.
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