Kyohei Inukai (the Elder)

Kyohei Inukai

(the Elder)

From the Foreword of  Kyohei Inukai  (1886-1954)

 The beauty of  Inukai's world is supported by the exquisite art of brush and the nuanced expression of light and shadow. Everyone who sees his work is of course captivated by his skill of realistic representation. Yet I think we should rather see the bold, dignified omission of his realism. He expresses in his art the delicate and the subtle between what can and cannot be expressed, what can and cannot be seen. "Ellipsis," or sparing use of the brush, is at the core of the aesthetics of Japanese art. Enigmatic expression achieved through omission is also a charm of  Inukai's work. He did not paint or draw every detail. Whether in a portrait, a landscape, or a still life, he searched for what was consistent with his aesthetic sense and composed as if philosophizing about it.

           Masayuki Okabe   Professor, Teikyo University Art Historian