"Aizen" (Passion) 1934 The word "aizen" can refer to sexual passion or carnal desire, but here one sees the tender love of a couple. It shows an instant wherein a brace of mandarin ducks are visible amid the deep blue of the pond and red of the maple leaves. It is an important work that harmonizes ornamentation with realism in a wondrous fashion. Kawabata Ryushi: Born in Wakayama in 1885. When he was 18, he entered a Yomiuri Shimbun illustration contest, from which his work was selected. He continued with illustration to earn a living as he studied oil painting. Impressed by the Japanese art that he saw during a visit to the Boston Museum of Art in 1923, he turned to Japanese painting when he returned to Japan. His new style of painting was recognized at the reestablished Inten Exhibition, but he left Inten in 1928 to establish Seiryu-sha the following year, where he pursued and perfected his own style. Copyright of all the pictures in this Web site belongs to the artists or the Adachi Museum of Art