'Reading Nihonga Through Color: Kaii's Blue and Genso's Red'

Nov. 2-Dec. 22

Colors have always played an important role in nihonga (Japanese-style painting), sometimes featuring as significant aspects of artists' signature styles. For Kaii Higashiyama (1908-1999), for example, blue is often used, while the work of Genso Okuda (1912-2003) predominantly features red.

Nihonga pigments were traditionally derived from natural materials, which limited the artists' palettes. Modern artificial pigments, however, introduced a wide range of new colors that helped styles develop and diversify.

Focusing on color in modern and contemporary nihonga, this exhibition showcases Higashiyama's "End of the Year" (1968), a scene of falling snow in Kyoto, and Okuda's "Oirase Ravine: Autumn" (1983) of red leaves, plus 50 works by other artists, including Seiho Takeuchi and Togyu Okumura.

Yamatane Museum of Art; 3-12-36 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. Ebisu Stn. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. ¥1,200. Closed Mon. 03-5777-8600; www.yamatane-museum.jp/english
 
Ticket Giveaway: We have five pairs of tickets to "Reading Nihonga Through Color: Kaii's Blue and Genso's Red" at the Yamatane Museum of Art to give to readers. The ticket giveaway is now online only. To apply, visit jtimes.jp/tickets. Deadline: Nov. 5.