1875‐1949
Uemura Shoen was born in Kyoto.
She was a student of Suzuki Shonen, and later studied under Kono Bairei and Takeuchi Seiho.
Shoen emerged as an excellent painter, releasing many works relating to
Kyoto’s manners and Japanese classical literature mainly for the government-sponsored exhibitions.
In the Showa Period, she painted noble and elegant women by using simple, beautiful, and lean lines and bright, but not too flashy colors.
She made endeavors to express the inner depth in addition to those features, which led to the establishment of her own style of painting.
1914 153.0×84.0 cm
Depicts Akizuki Miyuki, the heroine of the Joruri drama, Sho‐utsushi Asagao‐banashi.
Sensing someone approaching while she gazes at a paper fan received from the one she adores, Miyuki glances behind her, hurriedly hiding the fan in her sleeve.
This masterpiece by Shoen Uemura from the Taisho period （1912‐1926） beautifully captures the heroine’s charming, innocent look.
1944 73.0×86.0 cm
The depiction of this woman leaning on a railing has been executed with a simple composition, and what’s more this work makes almost miraculous use of the unpainted area and spacious depth that is a feature of Japanese painting. This work is a masterpiece of the mature period of Uemura Shoen, who idealized the dignity of the female form in her work.
