1874‐1911
Hishida Shunso was born in Nagano Prefecture.
He studied under Okakura Tenshin and Hashimoto Gaho in the Tokyo Fine Art School.
In 1898, he participated in the establishment of the Japan Art Institute.
Alongside Yokoyama Taikan, he was devoted to the creation of a new style of Japanese paintings that illustrated keen senses, foresight, and intelligence.
He accomplished this through the use of many techniques such as morotai method (vague style of painting).
After the decline of the Institute, he created many masterpieces for the Ministry of Education Fine Arts Exhibitions.
In 1911, he died at a young age and was sorely missed by all.
1906 118.0×49.8 cm
Hishida Shunso is noted for his depictions of cats, and his painting, “Black Cat”, is quite famous.
The work here was completed four years before that one, and one can see in the feline shown here that he had already achieved a fusion of realism and decorative art.
1902 54.5×112.2 cm
Although this work was produced during the period when Yokoyama Taikan along with his morotai method was not accepted, it is an exquisitely sophisticated work. Despite the colorfulness of the hydrangeas, the calculated composition and subdued tones evoke their innate feel of lonely melancholia.
