Morita Sai

Morita Sai ( Japanese 森田 沙伊 , real name Morita Saiichi (才 一); born August 20, 1898 in Sapporo ; died October 12, 1993 ) was a Japanese painter of the Nihonga direction during the Taishō and Shōwa periods .

life and work

Morita Sai made his connection to the Tokyo Art School in 1923 (東京 美術 学校, Tōkyō bijjutsu gakkō), where he had studied under Yūki Somei (1875-1957). Five years later he won his first award at the 5th Teiten exhibition for his picture "小鳥" (Kotori, Little Bird). In 1939 his picture "孫" (Mago, grandchild) was awarded a major prize at the 3rd Shin Bunten exhibition . From then on, he regularly showed works at the Shin Bunten and Nitten exhibitions , where he received multiple recognition, especially for his small-format works in the Rimpa style. From 1940 on, Morita took part in the project that concerned the copying of the painting in the Hōryū-ji .

In 1959 Morita won the Japanese Academy of Arts prize for his picture "少年" (Shōnen, youth), which he had shown in the first reorganized Nitten. In 1975 he was accepted as a member of the Nitten organization. As early as 1967 he became a lecturer at the Kanazawa College of Arts (金 沢 美術 工 芸 大学, Kanazawa Bijutsu Kōgei Daigaku). Morita's pictures show a careful composition and a new style of depicting groups of figures.

Web links (images)

• Morita Sai: "梅" - plum blossom branches, 1942

literature

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

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