Montmartre

Born in Oamishirasato City, Chiba, Hara Katsuro studied at the Aoibashi Western Painting Institute, affiliated with the Hakubakai group, and then moved to France. In Paris, he lived on Rue Belloni (now Rue d’Arsonval) near Montparnasse Station. Without studying under any specific artist, he actively exhibited his work at the Salon d’Automne, the Salon des Independants and elsewhere, and participated in exhibitions by Japanese artists during his approximately 20 years in Paris. Hara developed a distinctive painting style without rushing to follow the latest artistic trends, depicting cityscapes full of stone structures and still lifes featuring everyday objects. This painting shows a scene of Montmartre, with a robust composition and subdued palette that epitomize Hara’s signature style. (M.N.)