Kaii Higashiyama Retrospective at the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art

Thursday, 03 April 2008 01:20

TOKYO - The National Museum of Modern Art opened the exhibit Kaii Higashiyama: A Retrospective through May 18. A highly praised postwar Japanese-style painter who became widely popular among the public, Kaii Higashiyama (1908-1999) is known for his landscapes conveying deep expression of the painter's inner world. Commemorating the 100th anniversary of his birth, this retrospective tries to capture the essence of Higashiyama's art by presenting 100 important works, ranging from early pieces such as Afterglow and Road, to later works including the screen paintings for Toshodaiji Temple, Sound of Waves and Balmy Wind in Yangchou.

Born in Yokohama, Higashiyama graduated from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1931. He was awarded the Japan Art Institute prize in 1956. In 1968 he completed large murals on the New Imperial Palace, and in 1969 he was given the Order of Cultural Merits and designated as a person with cultural merit. In 1975 and 1980, he completed murals in T?sh?dai-ji.
 
The famous Japanese master Kaii Higashiyama has generously donated more than 700 of his works (paintings, studies, sketches, etc.) to the museum. To house and display these works, the Higashiyama Kaii Gallery was built and opened in April of 1990.
 
The gallery holds paintings such as "Vibrant Greens", "Forest with a White Horse", and "Evening Quiet", and also series of sketches such as "Landscape in Europe", "Journey into Tohoku and Shinshu", "Landscape in China", "Landscape in Northern Europe":, "Four Seasons in Kyoto", "Landscape with a White Horse" and "Spring and Autumn in Yamato". There are also sketches and studies for the Nitten Exhibition and for the Toshodai-ji Murals which show his inspiration and the process of painting.