Noguchi Kenjiro 1936 Bunten Kansaten Exhibition Screen of Kamikochi

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Noguchi Kenjiro 1936 Bunten Kansaten Exhibition Screen of Kamikochi

About the Item

Byobu or folding screens in six panels, painted on paper in mineral pigments with an autumn landscape of a mountain forest at Kamikochi. Dated on the lower left by the artist: Showa Juichi Nen Aki or Showa (Era) 11th Year Autumn, and signed: Noguchi Kenjiro, and sealed (Noguchi Kenjiro, 1898 – 1947). Showa 11 or 1936. Titled: Kamikochi no Aki or Autumn in Kamikochi, this screen was painted for exhibition at the Bunten Kansaten in 1936, and is illustrated in the Nittenshi, volume 12, page 282, number 53, and in color on pages 58 – 59. When first exhibited it was purchased by the art patron and collector Hosokawa Rikizo. Along with the rest of his painting collection it entered the Meguro Gajoen Museum Collection after the War, from which it was acquired by Kagedo in 2003. This screen is illustrated in Kagedo’s catalogue Light Through Clouds, number 60. Kamikochi is a valley in western Nagano Prefecture famous for its high mountain scenery, ponds and hot springs. Noguchi Kenjiro was born in Saga Prefecture, and graduated from the Tokyo School of Fine Art in 1923. He studied painting under Yuki Somei, and was first accepted as an exhibitor at the Teiten in 1921. He continued to exhibit at the Imperial Art Exhibitions, winning a special prize at the 15th Teiten in 1934. A painter who liked to work from nature, Noguchi Kenjiro traveled extensively to find subjects for his work. Noguchi Kenjiro was a realist noted for his innovative use of traditional Japanese painting techniques with Western influences. His thick use of pigments to echo the effect of oil painting was extremely controversial at the time, and was considered offensive and shocking by traditional and nationalist painters such as Yokoyama Taikan. Autumn in Kamikochi’s richly textured surface perfectly displays this technique to advantage, where it enlivens the wilderness landscape of forest and mountains, making it seem less ordered and perfect. Sharper details give way in the distance to an abstraction of color and form. Noguchi gives us the sense of standing in a wild mountain valley, fenced by rugged peaks and screened by the great vertical tree trunks in the foreground. 77” high x ¾” deep x 173 ¾” wide, when opened flat.

Creator:
Noguchi Kenjiro (Artist)
Dimensions:
Height: 77 in (195.58 cm)Width: 173.73 in (441.28 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
Place of Origin:
Japan
Period:
1930-1939
Date of Manufacture:
1936
Condition:
Seller Location:
Orcas, WA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU9589742559