Untitled Album of Seventeen Sketches of Birds, Flowers and Landscapes
An album of ink-wash sketches of birds, flowers and landscapes by Shōfusai Tōsen, a 19th-century Japanese painter, with no catalogue details beyond the title and artist. The pictures use pale grey brush strokes on warm paper, with sparse composition, lots of open ground and quick, economical line. A designer could take the loose negative-space layouts, the single bird placed against empty paper, and the restrained grey tonal range for minimalist or natural-themed work.
