Portrait of Yaeko

Tsubaki Sadao began teaching at an elementary school in what is now Funabashi City, Chiba in 1926, subsequently settling in Funabashi and continuing to paint while teaching at private schools. His teacher was Kishida Ryusei, and Tsubaki’s works were heavily influenced by Kishida and often faced criticism as being overly derivative. On the back of this painting, an inscription conveys Tsubaki’s psychological state: “This work is memorable to me in many respects. When I made it I was in despair, at a crossroads over whether to abandon my brush or to stand firm as a painter.” Despite such criticism, Kishida and Tsubaki both contributed to pioneering realist oil painting in Japan, and their works, as well as their relationship as friends and as mentor and protégé, continue to captivate viewers to this day. (U.M.)