Shinkai Taketaro

Prince Kitashirakawa in Kitanomaru Park , Tokyo

Shinkai Taketarō ( Japanese 新海 竹 太郎 ; born March 3, 1868 in Yamagata ; † March 12, 1927 ) was a Japanese sculptor of the Meiji and Taishō periods .

life and work

Born in Yamagata, Shinkai studied sculpture with Gotō Sadayuki ( 後 藤 貞 行 ; 1850–1903) and Ogura Sōjirō ( 小 倉 惣 次郎 ; 1843–1913) western sculpture in the early Meiji period. In 1896, at the request of the military, he created an equestrian statue of the late Prince Kitashirakawa .

In 1900 he went to Europe, then became a student of the Berlin sculptor Ernst Herter , where he studied the academic direction there. In 1902 he returned to Japan and became head of the sculptor department of the private art academy Taiheiyō Gakai Kenkyūjo ( 太平洋 画 会 研究所 ), where he trained many students.

His sculpture “After the Bath” ( 湯 あ み , Yuami ), which he exhibited in the first national art exhibition ( 文部省 美術展 覧 会 , Mombusho bijutsu tenrankai ) in 1907, was highly praised. The work is representative of the artistic development in the field of sculpture in the Meiji period.

In 1917 Shinkai was named "Artist at the Court" ( 帝室 技 芸 員 , Teishitsu gigeiin ), and in 1919 he became a member of the Imperial Academy of Arts (now the Japanese Academy of Arts ). His other well-known works include "Cooperation" ( 一致 , Itchi ) and the equestrian memorial for Marshal Ōyama Iwao .

literature

• Tazawa, Yutaka: Biographical Dictionary of Japanese Art . Kodansha International, 1981. ISBN 0-87011-488-3 .

Web links

• Sculpture "After the Bath"
• Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Assets Shinkai list of works

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