Ga rafu

Hyakutake Kaneyuki was one of the early pioneers of Western-style painting in Japan. But Hyakutake was not a professional artist. He was primarily a diplomat who helped the fledgling Meiji government establish diplomatic relations in Europe, spending over ten years overseas.

In 1871, at the age of 29, Hyakutake went to Europe for the first time as a diplomatic envoy in the Iwakura Mission. While studying economics at Oxford, he began to take lessons in oil painting. Encouraged by his superior to hone his talents, Hyakutake had the opportunity to study painting firsthand in the world's major art centers — London, Paris, and Rome — while performing his official duties.

In 1880, Hyakutake went to Rome for two years to serve as first secretary to the Japanese envoy to Italy. There, he studied with the painter Cesare Maccari, a professor at the Accademia di Belle Arti of Rome.

In Rome, Hyakutake painted his masterpiece: a reclining nude, depicted against a background of deep green tapestry with red, white, and yellow ornaments. The woman rests her head on her left hand, while raising her right arm, balancing her relaxed posture with a sense of movement. Fixing her eyes on us, Hyakutake achieves a beautiful portrayal of a woman with a captivating, powerful presence.

Dated 1881, it is one of the earliest oil paintings of a nude by a Japanese artist.

Incidentally, the painter Matsuoka Hisashi, who traveled with Hyakutake to Italy, stood by his side during the production of the work and drew the same model from a different angle. Matsuoka belonged to the first generation of Japanese artists who received formal training in Western-style painting at the newly established New Technical Arts School in Tokyo, between 1876 and 1878 under the tutelage of the Italian artist Antonio Fontanesi. He later continued his training in Italy under Cesare Maccari, alongside Hyakutake.

The whereabouts of Hyakutake's Reclining Nude were unknown for a long time. Hyakutake sent the piece from Rome to the wealthy Yatomi family in Saga, with whom he had a friendly relationship. Since then, it has never been displayed publicly. The painting reappeared at the 29th Saga Art Exhibition in 1948, 64 years after Hyakutake's death, thrilling the art world. The sponsoring Saga Art Association wrote in its journal, “It is a pleasure to exhibit this gem, which has never been shown to the public before.” Reclining Nude was later sold and is now in the collection of the Artizon Museum of the Ishibashi Foundation.