"Autumun Leaves" 1931 With its depiction of ripples of platinum-tinged mud and deep red maple leaves on running water that has been colored ultramarine, this work shows the limpid nature of autumn. It is the largest and greatest of Taikan's works in the Adachi Museum collection, and it is brought out every year for the special autumn exhibition. < Next > Yokoyama Taikan: Born in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, in 1868. Graduated from the Tokyo Art School in 1889 as one of the school's first graduates. Greatly admired Okakura Tenshin, who proposed the creation of a new style of Japanese painting and served as Taikan's mentor. Taikan devoted his entire life to Japanese painting, with some 60 of his 90 years having such an impact that this period could rightly be claimed as an important era in the history of Japanese painting, encompassing three generations across the Meiji, Taisho and Showa eras. He is known for his introduction of European painting styles into traditional Japanese painting and harmonized them. In 1937, Taikan was awarded the first Order of Cultural Merit by the Japanese Government for his contribution to modern Japanese painting. He died in 1958. Copyright of all the pictures in this Web site belongs to the artists or the Adachi Museum of Art