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1960
The artist was struck by the unaffected, friendly manner of Miss Fubuki Koshiji when she visited this famous singer backstage. This favorable impression from their first meeting seems to have defined the composition of this work. The famous chansonnier is depicted here, as she relaxes, with such exuberance that her body almost bursts out of the frame. The strong contrast of colors between the flat, strong red of the background and the purple sash, and the buoyant rhythm of lines created by the stripes of the deck chair and the patterns on her "yukata" robe, make this work worthy to be called Modern.
However, this "Nihon-ga" is not dominated only by these qualities that are new to this genre. The recumbent posture of the model is probably based on the famous Cleopatra pose used in classic Western art. And the soft curves on her robe are part of a pattern called palmette, originating in the Near East and repeatedly used in Japan since the "Kofun" period. Yuki Ogura has brought modern formative qualities into Nihon-ga with her relaxed handling of shapes that allows distortions, and the use of bright, buoyant colors. In this work, the traditions of the West and the East are integrated with a Modernist's sensibility.
1895-2000
| Genre | Paintings |
|---|---|
| Material/technique | Color on paper |
| Dimensions | 93×163cm |
| Acquisition date | 1975 |
| Accession number | 1975-00-1028-000 |
