Eisaku Wada "Hikone Inland Lake"

Eisaku Wada was born in the village of Tarumi, In Kagoshima Prefecture. He studied painting under Yukihiko Soyama, Naojiro Harada and Seiki Kuroda, and graduated from Tokyo Art School in 1897. While a student there, he helped found the White Horse Society (the Hakuba-kai) in 1896. In 1899, Wada traveled to Europe, going first to Germany and then to France, where he studied under Raphael Collin. In 1902, on his return, he became a professor at Tokyo Art School. Between 1932 and 1935, he was the school's president. He served as judge at the Art Exhibition of the Ministry of Education (the Bun-ten) since it started in 1907. He became a member of the Imperial Art Academy (the Teikoku Bijutsu-in) in 1919. Later, he was appointed a Court Artist ( the Teishitu Gigei-in) and head of the Imperial Art Academy's Institute of Art (Teikoku Bijutsu-in Fuzoku Bijutsu Kenkyujo). In 1943, Wada received the Order of Culture and he was later chosen to become Head of the First Department of Japan Art Academy (the Nihon Geijutsu-in). Wada's style displayed typical academicism based on accurate depiction of the subject. His best known works include Evening of the ferry (1897) and Hometown reminiscence (1901) (Both in the colleciotn of the Museum of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music).

The White Horse Society was founded by Seiki Kuroda in 1896, after he left the Meiji Art Association. This school produced such masters as Shigeru Aoki and Takeji Fujishima. Most painters of the Society were greatly influenced by Kuroda and his master Collin, and produced many attractive paintings of elegance, clarity, moderation and excellent color tone.

Characteristic of these paintings was the use of purple. Eisaku Wada excelled in his ability to offer a realistic depiction of the natural setting in front of him.

This work was produced in March 1926. It depicts the kind of traditional Japanese landscape that is hard to find these days, given the advancement of urbanization. The work thus suggests the feeling of comfort felt in one's hometown. Wada has also conveyed the naturalness of early spring.

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Eisaku Wada
(1874 - 1959)
Hikone Inland Lake

March 1926
Oil on canvas
73 x 91cm