Itō Ren

Itō Ren ( Japanese 伊藤 廉 , actual reading of the first name: Kiyoshi ; born October 7, 1898 in Nagoya ; died January 24, 1983 ) was a Japanese painter of the Yōga direction during the Shōwa period .

life and work

Ito enrolled at the first middle school after graduation Aichi Prefecture in Nagoya Medical College, which left school but again, to study at the Art Academy Tōkyō ( 東京美術学校 , Tōkyō bijutsu Gakko), the predecessor of today's Geidai to take . While he was still in training, his picture "In the Room" ( 室内 , Shitsunai ) was accepted for the 10th annual Nikakai exhibition.

In 1925, Itō graduated from the art school and went to France in 1927, where the École de Paris was at the height of its importance. There he made friends with Fukushima Shigetaro and other Japanese. While Itō dealt intensively with Rembrandt's style on the one hand, he was also enthusiastic about Fauvism .

In 1930 Itō returned to Japan and showed at the 17th Nikakai exhibition, as part of a special exhibition arranged for him, 14 works that he had created in Europe, including the picture "Woman at the Window" ( 窓 に よ る 女 , Mado ni yoru onna ) , with which he won the Nika Prize. In the same year he founded the "Society for Independent Art" ( 独立 美術 協会 , Dokuritsu bijutsu kyōkai ) together with Hayashi Takeshi , Satomi Katsuzō , Migishi Kōtarō and others . He left this society in 1937 and was a member of the Kokuga-kai ( 国画 会 ) from 1943 to 1973 , where he exhibited works such as “Dove and Water Vessel ” ( 鳩 と 水 差 し , Hato to mizusashi ).

After the Pacific War , Itō became involved in art education. In 1946 he became a teacher at the Tōkyō Art School, then assistant professor at its successor institution, the Geidai, and in 1954 a full professor. After his retirement in 1966, Itō took over a professorship at the Aichi Prefecture School of Art ( 愛 知 県 芸 術 大学 , Aichi kenritsu geijutsu daigaku ), which was founded in the same year. He also wrote a number of textbooks on painting.

Itō's works are characterized by intellectual serenity, combined with a touch of humor.

literature

• Tazawa, Yutaka: Itō Ren . In: Biographical Dictionary of Japanese Art . Kodansha International, 1981. ISBN 0-87011-488-3 .
• Laurance P. Roberts: Itō Ren . In: A Dictionary of Japanese Artists . Weatherhill, 1976. ISBN 0-8348-0113-2 .

Web links

• Still life with a pigeon at the window (鳩 の い る 窓 辺 の 静物, Hato no iru madogiwa no seibutsu; 1949)
• About the person, Japanese

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus, Itō is the family name, Ren is the first name.