Born in Hokkaido, Kataoka Tamako moved to Tokyo with the intention of becoming an artist. At the age of 21 she started working at what is now Yokohama Municipal Ooka Elementary School. The girls wearing the traditional Korean-style clothing are said to have been modeled after students at the school. During Japan’s occupation of the Korean Peninsula, many Korean people lived in Yokohama City. The four girls under the grape vine are each wearing a yukata or a chima (a traditional Korean skirt) and jeogori (a traditional Korean top). In Kataoka’s paintings of people, the colors and patterns of the clothing are an important element, and here too we can see her interest in ethnic dress. This work was donated after her death to Yokohama, where she worked as a teacher until she turned 50 while also pursuing her painting career.
(HIBINO Miyon)
Born in Hokkaido, Kataoka Tamako moved to Tokyo with the intention of becoming an artist. At the age of 21 she started working at what is now Yokohama Municipal Ooka Elementary School. The girls wearing the traditional Korean-style clothing are said to have been modeled after students at the school. During Japan’s occupation of the Korean Peninsula, many Korean people lived in Yokohama City. The four girls under the grape vine are each wearing a yukata or a chima (a traditional Korean skirt) and jeogori (a traditional Korean top). In Kataoka’s paintings of people, the colors and patterns of the clothing are an important element, and here too we can see her interest in ethnic dress. This work was donated after her death to Yokohama, where she worked as a teacher until she turned 50 while also pursuing her painting career.
(HIBINO Miyon)