These Delicate Animal Illustrations From Over 200 Years Ago Are Incredibly Beautiful
Japan’s Kitao Masayoshi brought fauna to life with just a few brushstrokes in his book of animal drawings from 1795
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3 min readAug 5, 2019
I recently stumbled upon the work of Kitao Masayoshi while browsing the Smithsonian archives for work in the public domain. The Japanese artist’s inked depictions of birds, squirrels, fish, and so many more animals actually made me cry because of how incredibly they capture the character and charm of these beautiful beings with just a few lines.
It is remarkable how timeless these small pieces of art really art; I can imagine them as adorable tattoos on any modern animal lover. The books they were published in are sometimes presented as “how to draw” guides, but though the drawings are simple I’m not sure I could ever capture such humor, grace, and cuteness with so few strokes.
