Collection

Kawabata Ryushi

Passion1934　168.2×168.5 cm
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.
Floral Offering1940　166.6×115.0 cm
The painting is an excellent work that is brilliantly and elegantly executed and does full justice to the title. Ryushi is a singularly unique artist in that he turned from western-style painting to Japanese-style painting after visiting America at the age of 28. It is truly characteristic of the artist to depict an arrangement of peonies in a bamboo basket on a large canvas.

Kawabata Ryushi

1885‐1966

Kawabata Ryushi was born in Wakayama Prefecture. He initially learned how to paint in western style, but later turned to Japanese style paintings and entered Musei-kai, a Japanese art organization. Since 1915, he has released great works based on a free and bold style of painting, mainly for the Inten Exhibitions. He started to push through this bold, large frame, style of painting in 1928 and subsequently established a new art organization, Seiryu-sha, in 1929. This organization advocated the establishment of sturdy art and it led him to develop his unique art perspective.