Okumura Kōichi
Snowy Day, 1940s-1950s
Hanging scroll; ink, mineral colors and shell powder on paper
Overall size 55½ x 26¼ in. (141 x 67 cm)
Image size 16 x 20½ in. (40.5 x 52.5 cm)
Image size 16 x 20½ in. (40.5 x 52.5 cm)
T-5286
Comes with the original double wooden storage boxes, the outer one in tamenuri lacquer; the inner one titled outside: Okumura Kōichi hitsu Yuki no hi (Snowy Day, brushed by Okumura...
Comes with the original double wooden storage boxes, the outer one in tamenuri lacquer; the inner one titled outside: Okumura Kōichi hitsu Yuki no hi (Snowy Day, brushed by Okumura Kōichi); inscribed inside: Gatei Amano Taisha ki ([To my] younger brother, a memento of the Amano Shrine); sealed: Taisha (Shrine)
Kyoto-born Okumura Kōichi graduated in 1933 from Kyoto Municipal School of Painting. After a period of study under Nishimura Goun, he was first selected for the Teiten national exhibition in 1929 and would continue to show at the Teiten and its successors on ten occasions until 1947. In 1948 he discontinued his association with the official exhibition system and together with artists such as Fukuda Toyoshirō co-founded the Sōzō Bijutsu (Creative Art) group, dedicated to innovation in Nihonga-style painting; three years later the group merged with Shin Seisakuha Kyōkai (New Creative Association) and he became a member of its Nihonga division. From 1960 to 1970 Okumura served as a professor at Kyoto Municipal College of Fine Arts (now Kyoto City University of Arts).
Okumura, known for his extensive travels throughout Japan, was captivated by the natural scenery of the Amano Basin and the solemn buildings of the Amano Shrine (officially known as Niutsuhime Shrine), revered for its association with the great Buddhist leader Kōbō Daishi (774–835) and the tradition of syncretic Shinto–Buddhist worship. This scroll reflects his love of upland landscapes and penchant for the vivid expression of natural light and atmosphere.
Kyoto-born Okumura Kōichi graduated in 1933 from Kyoto Municipal School of Painting. After a period of study under Nishimura Goun, he was first selected for the Teiten national exhibition in 1929 and would continue to show at the Teiten and its successors on ten occasions until 1947. In 1948 he discontinued his association with the official exhibition system and together with artists such as Fukuda Toyoshirō co-founded the Sōzō Bijutsu (Creative Art) group, dedicated to innovation in Nihonga-style painting; three years later the group merged with Shin Seisakuha Kyōkai (New Creative Association) and he became a member of its Nihonga division. From 1960 to 1970 Okumura served as a professor at Kyoto Municipal College of Fine Arts (now Kyoto City University of Arts).
Okumura, known for his extensive travels throughout Japan, was captivated by the natural scenery of the Amano Basin and the solemn buildings of the Amano Shrine (officially known as Niutsuhime Shrine), revered for its association with the great Buddhist leader Kōbō Daishi (774–835) and the tradition of syncretic Shinto–Buddhist worship. This scroll reflects his love of upland landscapes and penchant for the vivid expression of natural light and atmosphere.