Late Autumn

Born in Oami Town, Sanbu County, Chiba Prefecture (now Oamishirasato City), Sakai Ajin spent his youth in Togane City, Chiba. He primarily exhibited at the Inten (Japan Art Institute exhibition), and gained attention in the art world as a bold innovator. This composition features boldly simplified trees. The horizontal line dividing earth from sky passes through the tree trunks, heightening the decorative quality of the work. The handling of light is equally bold, with the trees and enormous leaves in the foreground rendered in vivid colors, the dark, dense, and heavy trees just behind them, and the brightly lit late-autumn grass further in the distance. This endeavor to simplify and reconfigure the subject, incorporating elements from cutting-edge Western art, was a breath of fresh air for the Japanese art scene. Sakai received the Japan Art Institute Prize (Taikan Prize) for his work, and was highly regarded as an up-and-coming artist alongside Kataoka Tamako. (J.A.)