Still life with mandarin oranges

Nakamura Tsune studied Western art only from reproductions and never had the opportunity to travel to Europe. He suffered from tuberculosis from the age of seventeen until his death at thirty-seven and was confined to his bedroom/studio for much of his life. Largely self-taught, he investigated many styles of painting, but managed to retain his individuality. Baptized a Christian in 1907, his devotion to painting assumed a kind of religious conviction. He was enamored of Rodin's concept of art as an expression of inner forces and, in his youthful idealism, he wished to merge life with art. He loved Rembrandt above all, but also the sensual energy of Renoir.