Fisherwomen

Asai Chu initially studied Japanese-style painting under Kuronuma Kaizan, then Western-style painting under Kunisawa Shinkuro, before studying at the Imperial College of Arts with teacher Antonio Fontanesi. Subsequently, after founding the Meiji Bijutsukai art society and joining the faculty of Tokyo Fine Arts School, he went to Paris for further study. Back in Japan, he moved to Kyoto to teach at the Kyoto High School of Craft and Design, and opened the Shogoin Institute of Western Art (later Kansai Bijutsuin) to foster younger artists. Fisherwomen was painted during a January 1897 trip to Nemoto, in what is today Shirahama Town, Minamiboso City, Chiba. The work is an important example of Asai’s style at the time, influenced by the Impressionist-style handling of light introduced by Kuroda Seiki after his return from France in 1893, and was designated as a Tangible Cultural Property by Chiba Prefecture in 2018. (U.M.)