Hirafuku Hyakusui, originally named Teizō (Japanese: 平福百穂; 28 December 1877, Kakunodate - 30 October 1933, Kakunodate) was a Japanese painter in the

nihonga ''Nihonga'' (, "Japanese-style paintings") are Japanese paintings from about 1900 onwards that have been made in accordance with traditional Japanese artistic conventions, techniques and materials. While based on traditions over a thousand years ...

style.

Life and work

His father, , was also a painter and gave him his first lessons. In 1894, he went to Tokyo, where he studied with . Three years later, he enrolled at the Tokyo Art School (now the

Tokyo University of the Arts or is the most prestigious art school in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, and Kitasenju and Adachi, Tokyo. The university has trained renowned artists in the fields of painting, scul ...

) and studied nihonga style art. He also began exhibiting at the and the and was awarded prizes at both. In 1900, together with , and several others, he helped create the "", a group devoted to introducing more realistic elements into the traditional styles. Hyakusui-Haruyama

After a year of studying Western style design, he began producing illustrations for the ' (''The Nation''), a daily newspaper that was considered to be a quasi-official mouthpiece for the government. In 1914, he won some awards at the eighth exhibition (

Bunten The is a Japanese art exhibition established in 1907. The exhibition consists of five art faculties: Japanese Style and Western Style Painting, Sculpture, Craft as Art, and Sho (calligraphy). During each exhibition, works of the great masters are ...

) of the Ministry of Culture. Two years later, he joined with Kaburagi Kiyokata, Matsuoka Eikyū and others to create another artists' group, the "" (Golden Bell), which promoted artistic freedom and personal expression. In 1922, he became a judge for the Teiten exhibition; successor to the Bunten. In 1930, he was able to visit Rome to participate in an exhibition of Japanese artists. The following year, he was involved in a similar exhibition at the

Prussian Academy of Arts The Prussian Academy of Arts (German: ''Preußische Akademie der Künste'') was a state arts academy first established in Berlin, Brandenburg, in 1694/1696 by prince-elector Frederick III, in personal union Duke Frederick I of Prussia, and late ...

in Berlin. Upon his return to Japan, he was named a member of the

Japan Art Academy is the highest-ranking official artistic organization in Japan. It is established as an extraordinary organ of the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs (文化庁, Bunkacho) in the thirty-first article of the law establishing the Ministry of Ed ...

. In 1932, he became a teacher at the Tokyo Fine Arts School, but died after having served for only a little more than a year. His mature works combined the official nihonga style with the lighter techniques of the

Rinpa school is one of the major historical schools of Japanese painting. It was created in 17th century Kyoto by Hon'ami Kōetsu (1558–1637) and Tawaraya Sōtatsu (d. c.1643). Roughly fifty years later, the style was consolidated by brothers Ogata Kōrin ( ...

. He also showed some influence from the Chinese-based Nanga style. In addition, he wrote some poetry which was published in the literary magazine ''

Araragi ''Araragi'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae. It is a small East Asian hairstreak genus. The larvae feed on ''Juglans'' (walnut) species. Species *'' Araragi enthea'' (Janson, 1877) *'' Araragi sugiyamai'' Matsui, 1989 *'' Ar ...

'' and collected in an anthology called "Kanchiku" (Chinese Bamboos). Hyakusui-Squirrel

A major exhibition of his small paintings and scroll hangings was held at the Gallery Gunji (Tokyo) in April, 2019.

Sources

* Tazawa Yutaka: ''Biographical Dictionary of Japanese Art''. Kodansha International, 1981. . * Laurance P. Roberts: ''A Dictionary of Japanese Artists.'' Weatherhill, 1976. .

References

External links

More works by Hirafuku
@ ArtNet
Works by Hirafuku
@ the

Carnegie Museum of Art The Carnegie Museum of Art, is an art museum in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Originally known as the Department of Fine Arts, Carnegie Institute and was at what is now the Main Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsbur ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyakusui, Hirafuku 1877 births 1933 deaths Nihonga painters Rinpa school Artists from Akita Prefecture