Starting with Yamato-e painting, these two artists, who represent the third generation of Japanese painting artists and
who further modernized Japanese painting, are featured here.
奥村土牛はその人柄がそのまま絵に伝わっている作品に優しさが満ち溢れている。
土牛は17才で梶田半古に入門し、塾頭の小林古径に画の手ほどきを受けその後も師事し、先輩には前田青邨、知己として速水御舟、さらに日本美術院同人に推挙されてからは横山大観をはじめ偉大な画家たちから大きな教えを受けた。
その中、土牛は自己への挑戦に一歩一歩精進を重ねた画業人生であったと中公文庫「牛の歩み」にはある。
Okumura Togyu's paintings are imbued with kindness, reflecting h is personality.
At the age of 17, Togyu became a pupil of Kajita Hanko, receiving instruction in painti ng from the head of the school, Kobayashi Kokei.
He continued to study under other artists, including Maeda Seis on as a senior, Hayami Gyoshu as a close friend, and after bein grecommended as a member of the Japan Art Institute, he received great instruction from renowned painters such as Yokoyama Taik an.
Throughout this period, Togyu's artistic career was characteriz ed by a steady, step-by-step pursuit of self-improvement, as described in the Chuko Bunko edition of "The Pace of an Ox."
国立近代美術館所蔵作品展展示より
前田青邨 「土牛君の像」1973年
From the exhibition of works from the collection of the National Museum of Modern Art Maeda Seison, "Portrait of Dogyu-kun", 1973
前田青邨 Maeda Seison
前田青邨は梶田半古塾で土牛の先輩でありその後再興日本美術院では安田靫彦、小林古径とともに三羽烏と呼ばれ「囚われたる重衡」など歴史画をはじめ「Y 氏像」など現存人物の肖像画も人間を題材にした秀作を数多く描いた。
Maeda Seison was a senior of Togyu at the kajita Hanko School, and later, at the Reconstructed Japan Art Institute, he was known as one of the three great musketeers along with Yasuda Yukihiko and Kobayashi Kokei, and produced many exc ellent works with human subjects, including historical paintings such as "Imprisoned Shigehira" and portraits of living people such as "Portrait of Mr. Y."
御舟は14才で松本楓湖に入門し、先輩である今村紫紅に師事し、彼の自由闊達の画風を学びながら、さらに写実的描写を踏まえたものを追求していった。
わずか40歳という短い画業人生であったが、残された作品は多彩であり多くの素晴らしい作品を残した。
At the age of 14, Gyoshu became a pupil of Matsumoto Fuko and studied under his senior, Imamura Shiko.
While learning Matsumoto's free and open style, he continued to pursue a style based on realistic depiction.
Although his career as an artist was short, lasting only 40 years, he left behind a diverse and numerous body of magnificent works.
速水御舟 「女二題」「福島県立美術館作品選」図録より
渡欧から帰った翌年の作品で弥夫人をモデルに写実と日本画特有の線描が映える。
Hayami Gyoshu, "Two Subjects of Women" From the catalogue Selected Works of the Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art.
This work was created the year after he returned from Europe and features Lady Ya as a model.
The work displays realism together with the linework characteristic of Japanese painting.
安田靫彦 「今村紫紅像」
有隣新書「今村紫紅」カバー写真より
Yasuda Yukihiko, "Portrait of Imamura Shiko" Cover photo from Yurin Shinsho's Imamura Shiko
今村紫紅 Imamura Shiko
御舟は楓湖塾の先輩今村紫紅を追って紅児会に、さらに再興日本美術院、赤曜会と紫紅から多くを学んでいったその今村紫紅は自由放任主義の楓湖塾で紫紅は南画に傾斜し、そこに洋画、やまと絵の技法も取り入れ紫紅独自の画法を確立しつつあった。
「僕は壊すから、君たち建設してくれ給え」と御舟はじめ後輩に送った言葉がある。御舟は生涯をかけてそこにチャレンジしてきたのだと思う。
Mifune followed his senior from the Fuko-juku, Imamura Shiko, to the Koji-kai, and later to the revived Japan Art Institute and the Sekiyo-kai, learning much from Shiko. Imamura Shiko, in the laissez-faire Fuko-juku, leaned towards Nanga painting, incorporating Western and Yamato-e techniques to establish his own unique style.
He once said to Mifune and his juniors, "I'll tear it down, you build it." I believe Mifune dedicated his life to this challenge.