Image Courtesy: Google Doodle
Viscount Kuroda Seiki (August 9, 1866 – July 15, 1924) was a distinguished Japanese painter and educator, renowned for his efforts in popularizing Western art theory and practice among a wide audience in Japan.
He played a prominent role in the yōga (Western-style) movement that flourished during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Japanese painting. In Japan, he is revered as “the father of Western-style painting.”
Early Years
Kuroda was born in Takamibaba, Satsuma Domain (present-day Kagoshima Prefecture), as the son of a samurai from the Shimazu clan, Kuroda Kiyokane, and his wife Yaeko. Initially named Shintarō at birth, his name was changed to Seiki in 1877 when he turned 11. In his private life, he went by the name Kuroda Kiyoteru, which used an alternate pronunciation of the same Chinese characters.
Academic Career
By 1896, Kuroda had reached the pinnacle of his career. In May of that year, Okakura Tenshin, the Dean of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts (Tokyo Bijutsu Gakkō, presently known as Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music), appointed Kuroda as the director of the newly established Department of Western-style Painting. This position enabled him to design a more extensive curriculum, catering to a broader range of art students and reaching a wider audience. While the academic role emphasized structure and conformity, which differed from the painter’s focus on individuality, Kuroda enthusiastically embraced his new responsibilities. Notably, he emphasized the importance of plein air painting (outdoor painting directly from nature) and insisted on including courses on anatomy and sketching live nude models in the curriculum.
Legacy
Kuroda’s influence on Japanese art was profound. As a painter, he played a pivotal role in introducing Western-style paintings to a wide audience in Japan. As an educator, he passed on the knowledge he gained in Paris to numerous young artists, such as Wada Eisaku, who went on to become prominent Japanese painters of their generation. Many of his students chose to study in Paris, leading to a greater awareness of broader Western art trends among Japanese artists in the 20th century. Some, like Asai Chū, even sought inspiration in places like Grez-sur-Loing. Kuroda’s impact on the art world remains an enduring part of his legacy.
On 9 August 2022 a Google Doodle was created to celebrate Viscount Kuroda Seiki’s 107th Birthday.