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Lot Essay
Chomon Gorge is a highly scenic portion of the Abu River in Yamaguchi Prefecture, punctuated by steep cliffs, deep pools, rapids and waterfalls. Up to the end of the 19th century, its isolation and inaccessibility restricted knowledge of its existence to woodcutters and hunters from local villages. The first record of its presence was made when a General Staff Office surveying expedition mapped the area in 1899. By 1908 photographs of the gorge began to circulate, and the area began to draw painters and sightseeing expeditions. By 1923 Chomon Gorge was named a “Famous Site and Natural Monument” by the Japanese government. Imanaka Soyu painted a series of studies of the gorge in 1925 and 1926. The high level of detail and the execution of different perspectives from painting to painting suggest that Soyu visited the site and made at least the initial under drawings from life.
Imanaka Soyu was born the son of a wealthy farmer in Fukuoka Prefecture. He began studying painting in Hakata under Ueda Tekko, then in 1905 moved to Tokyo to further his painting studies with Kawai Gyokudo. Soyu’s work was first accepted at a government sponsored exhibition at the 2nd Bunten in 1908. In 1914 he again showed a painting at the 8th Bunten, and in the following year received a prize at the 9th Bunten. His submissions were also accepted at the 11th and 12th Bunten in 1917 and 1918, and at the 2nd Teiten in 1920. Between 1927 and 1934, Soyu’s paintings were accepted at the Teiten six times. He showed a painting at the 2nd Shotoku Taishi Hosan Art Exhibition in 1930 as well. After a long absence from the government sponsored exhibitions, he showed a painting at the 5th Shin-Bunten in 1942, with the honorary mukansa or non-vetted artist status. In the years before the Pacific War, Soyu painted many commissions for the Imperial Family, as well as for temples and shrines. Following the war, he participated in the 5th Nitten in 1949.
Soyu painted three images of Chomon Gorge in 1925 and 1926, and all represent impressions of light and color. The paintings reveal a fascination with the reflections of sunlight off of rocks, sand and water, the way it clouds in misting water or filters into banks of green vegetation. A stylized abstraction marks the treatment of the rocks and bushes, details dissolving into expanses of color and suggestions of form. The basaltic rocks seem almost cubist, and a flowing pointillism flecks the greenery. Broad washes of color framed by geometries of rock mark these powerful compositions.
Imanaka Soyu was born the son of a wealthy farmer in Fukuoka Prefecture. He began studying painting in Hakata under Ueda Tekko, then in 1905 moved to Tokyo to further his painting studies with Kawai Gyokudo. Soyu’s work was first accepted at a government sponsored exhibition at the 2nd Bunten in 1908. In 1914 he again showed a painting at the 8th Bunten, and in the following year received a prize at the 9th Bunten. His submissions were also accepted at the 11th and 12th Bunten in 1917 and 1918, and at the 2nd Teiten in 1920. Between 1927 and 1934, Soyu’s paintings were accepted at the Teiten six times. He showed a painting at the 2nd Shotoku Taishi Hosan Art Exhibition in 1930 as well. After a long absence from the government sponsored exhibitions, he showed a painting at the 5th Shin-Bunten in 1942, with the honorary mukansa or non-vetted artist status. In the years before the Pacific War, Soyu painted many commissions for the Imperial Family, as well as for temples and shrines. Following the war, he participated in the 5th Nitten in 1949.
Soyu painted three images of Chomon Gorge in 1925 and 1926, and all represent impressions of light and color. The paintings reveal a fascination with the reflections of sunlight off of rocks, sand and water, the way it clouds in misting water or filters into banks of green vegetation. A stylized abstraction marks the treatment of the rocks and bushes, details dissolving into expanses of color and suggestions of form. The basaltic rocks seem almost cubist, and a flowing pointillism flecks the greenery. Broad washes of color framed by geometries of rock mark these powerful compositions.