Profile
プロフィール
- Birth Year
- 1894
- Death Year
- 1973
- Date
- 1952–53
- Technique, Material, Format
- oil on canvas
- Dimension
- 59.5 x 48.6 cm
- Donor name
- Ms. Sarashina Akiko, Ms. Utsuda Miyako, and Ms. Ito Miyumi
- Category
- Oil or Other Painting by Japanese Artist
- Inventory Number
- 2009-OJ-004
The face of Kinoshita Takanori’s wife, Yone, emerges quietly from the dark. The work is immediately striking for its contrast between her illuminated face and white shirt and the darkness behind her. Kinoshita learned about art from his maternal uncle, the Western art historian Kojima Kikuo, and set his mind on becoming a painter while he was still young. After studying in France, he exhibited widely and received numerous awards. He excelled at portraits and still lifes imbued with an urbane sophistication, a characteristic that is evident in this work. While the title Profile originally signifies a side view, the woman is not just showing her profile but also appears to be in the act of turning to look behind her. The painting is perhaps best thought of as vividly capturing a completely natural movement by his model.
(MINAMISHIMA Ko)