Page 89 - The Pioneers, November 26, 2016 Hong Kong
P. 89
Lot 2510 Fig 7 Ryuzaburo Umehara, Cannes, oil on canvas, Fig 6 Ryuzaburo Umehara, Cannes, oil on canvas,
110 x 82.5 cm, 1962, Collection of The National 98 x 78.5 cm, 1962, Private Collection
圖6 梅原龍三郎《康城》油彩 畫布 1962年作 私人收藏
Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan
Photo : MOMAT/DNPartcom
圖7 梅原龍三郎《康城》 油彩 畫布 1962年作
日本 東京國立近代美術館
influenced Impressionism with its 'cavalier perspective' and aesthetic, he also combined Western art genres
and 'geometrical perspective,' so that the display is void and techniques to reinvent oil painting traditions
of 'depth of field.' Nevertheless, the spatial presentation that actualise the core spirit of Japanese culture.
becomes more literal and symbolic, resembling
photographic presentations of low-angle shots with The majority of Umehara's works consists of decorative
a wide-angle lens, or a high-angle shot from above, small-to-medium-size pieces, making Cannes - an
effecting many asymmetrical, dramatic compositions imposing, large painting - all the more unusual and
with a prominent foreground. This amenable composition valuable. Art critic Michiaki Kawakita wrote in his article
allows freestyle positioning of objects that mirrors the for Umehara's posthumous exhibition, 'I reviewed the
artist's own expressiveness, dissolving spatiotemporal inventory of this exhibition carefully. Paintings larger
limitations. The compositional 'geometrical perspective' than three-digit of centimetre in size are few and far
found in Cannes is rooted in traditional Japanese art, between, suggesting that works beyond number 50
and by blending Western mediums with Eastern art are scarce.'4 Art provenance indicates that three oil-
philosophies, the artist successfully created Japanese on-canvas paintings with similar composition and
oil paintings with distinctive 'Umehara hallmarks.' proximal date of production to Cannes are in existence:
one is a private collectable (fig.6); the other is housed
Umehara created a piece on Cannes (fig. 5) in 1920. in the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo (fig.
The creative shift in the intervening 40 years between 7); and the last piece is this one in our fall auction,
this painting, and the piece featured in this sale, is rendering it a priceless masterpiece. Umehara's life
more than noticeable. His earlier work was executed spanned three periods: Meiji, Taishō, and Shōwa. He
with caution: the silhouettes were more refined, has left a profound legacy in contemporary Japanese
reflecting Umehara's judicious brushwork, his focus on art development, inspiring several first-generation
dimensionality, and the thoughtful positioning of light Taiwanese western painters: Liao Chi-chun, Koeh Pek-
and shadows. Cannes in this sale boasts expressive and chhoan and Chen Cheng-po. Without a doubt, Umehara
daring silhouettes, its palette strong and innovative. is the founding father of 'Japanese oil paintings.'
Though planar in composition, the motif is much more
vocal. The painting radiates Umehara's high spirits 1 Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Entering the Art World of Umehara
and exuberance during its creation. Whether it was Ryuzaburo and Kuo Po-chuan, Taipei, Taiwan, 1998, p.24
technical or palette applications, Umehara strived to 2 Taipei Fine Arts Museum, A retrospective of Umehara Ryuzaburo
fuse the quintessence of Japanese art with Western and Kuo Po-chuan, Taipei, Taiwan, 1998, p.58
paintings. In acknowledging his own cultural legacy
3 Same as source 1, p.75
4 Same as source 2, p.44
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