The techniques of Western paintings were studied by Gennai HIRAGA, a scholar of Dutch studies, by copying the illustrations in books, and since he painted in his own way without any direct guidance from Westerners, his study of the art was no better than painting as a hobby.
そのため西洋画の技法研究も、蘭学者である平賀源内が外国人からの直接の指導を受けることなく、書物の挿画の模写などを通して独学で行っており、余技の域を出ないものであった。