Woman Seated by a Stream, Nakamura Daizaburō

Exhibition Label: "Tradition and Modernity: Japanese Art of the Early Twentieth Century," Jan-2005, Hillary Pedersen Born and raised in Kyoto, Daizaburō won awards for his paintings and later served frequently on the panel of judges in exhibitions sponsored by the Imperial Fine Arts Academy. Bright palettes and meticulous detail characterize his paintings, and he combines the realism of the Kyoto school of nihonga painters with flattened or abstracted areas of color. As seen here, the use of built-up pigments also adds texture to the surface of the painting and enhances the overall visual richness of the work. Daizaburō’s female figures capture the reserve and elegant beauty for which Kyoto women are fabled. The woman depicted here wears a traditional Japanese kimono, but elements of Westernization are incorporated into the painting—the hair is fashioned in a low, modern-style chignon at the base of the neck, and she holds a red, Western-style umbrella.