I.F. Gallery

微風 (Gentle Breeze)

About Artwork

Artist Profile

Kayama Matazo (1927-2004) was a prominent master of Japanese painting during the Showa period (1926-1989). He was a prodigious and precocious artist, gaining attention in his twenties with his geometric designs featuring groups of animals. His genius lay in his ability to significantly change and elegantly evolve his painting style approximately every decade. One of his early masterpieces, "Snowy Mountain," was inspired by Pieter Bruegel's "The Hunters in the Snow," housed in Vienna, depicting wolves.
Kayama drew inspiration not only from Western masterpieces but also from the opulent and decorative styles of Japanese Rimpa masters from the 1600s, such as Sotatsu Tawaraya and Korin Ogata (1658-1716). His mid-career works were praised as the "modern Rimpa school". These pieces are displayed in many museums across Japan, and his monumental work "Snow, Moon, and Flowers" is prominently displayed at the entrance of the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, highlighting his significance.