The defining feature of Japanese artist Saburōsuke Okada's (岡田三郎助) style is, above all, his graceful and elegant female figures, which integrate influences from his European and Japanese training in which he gradually established his own style based on delicate brushstrokes and elegant colors. "Kimono with Iris Pattern" (aka "Iris Robe") is a perfect embodiment of Okada's refined decorativeness and the detailed, soft skin tone characteristic of how he depicts women, as seen in works such as 紫の調 (Portrait of a Certain Woman) from 1907 and 萩 (Bush Clover) from 1908. The main feature of this work is the beautiful kimono robe, in which a white iris pattern stands out against the light indigo background that resembles water in a pond, and the vermilion stripes that beautifully harmonize with them. The young Japanese woman wearing the robes is painted in oil paint, with her back visible, against a golden-yellow background in the style of a lacquer dye. Traditional Japanese aesthetics and techniques are clearly visible in this "Western-style" oil painting, reflecting Okada's tireless research. At the age of six, Okada moved to Tokyo and stayed in the residence of Nabeshima Naohiro (鍋島直大), the former lord of the Saga domain. There, he saw the oil paintings of his fellow Saga native, Hyakutake Kaneyuki (百武兼行), and developed an interest in Western painting. After studying at the private school of Soyama Sachihiko (曽山幸彦), he entered the Tenshin Dojo, taught by Kuroda Seiki (黒田清輝) and Kume Keiichiro (久米桂一郎), who had returned from France. In 1896, he participated in the founding of the Hakuba-kai, and was appointed assistant professor in the newly established Western painting department at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts (東京美術学校). The following year, he traveled to France as the first student studying Western painting funded by the Ministry of Education, studying under Kuroda's teacher, Raphaël Collin.

あやめの衣 (Kimono with Iris Pattern) by 岡田三郎助 / Saburōsuke Okada (Japanese) - Oil on cardboard mounted on canvas / 1927 - Pola Museum of Art (Hakone, Japan) #WomenInArt #art #JapaneseArt #日本絵画 #ポーラ美術館 #岡田三郎助 #PolaMuseumofArt #着物 #OkadaSaburōsuke #OkadaSaburosuke #womensart #OilPainting #JapanesesArtist