Shintaro Suzuki was born in Hachioji, Tokyo in 1895. He studied oil painting under Seiki Kuroda, who was one of the pioneers of western-style painting in Japan. In 1936 he joined the well-known Nikakai Group.
- His style has a rich innocent beauty using a combination of strong colours with a sense of humour.
- His paintings often feature the scenery around the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Nara. He became a member of the Ichiyokai Group.
“Portrait of a City” depicts the Mitsubishi Dockyard* with a Dutch ship and the Chinese-style pei-long regatta taking place off Dejima, the former foreign settlement and the far right is Saikai Bridge and just below that are the ruins of the Urakami Church. (Dejima is a small fan-shaped artificial island built in the bay of Nagasaki in 1634 by local merchants).
*The name Mitsubishi translates as: “mitsu” meaning “three” and “hishi” (which becomes “bishi” under rendaku) meaning “water chestnut”, which is reflected in the company’s logo.
For further examples of Asian / Oriental Art, see my Oriental Art page.
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