Ryūshi Kawabata (1885–1966) was a painter born in Wakayama Prefecture who made a strong mark on the Japanese art world during the Shōwa period. He originally studied Western-style painting and worked as a newspaper illustrator, but later turned to Japanese painting. In contrast to traditional Japanese painting, which centred on works for the tokonoma and small-scale pieces, he aimed to create works that would overwhelm viewers in large exhibition spaces, carving out his own unique style through enormous canvases, bold compositions and powerful colours. In 1929, he founded the Seiryūsha art group and continued to produce works based on his own artistic philosophy.

When viewing Ryūshi’s works, one is first overwhelmed by the sheer momentum that seems to surge forth from the canvas. Even when depicting familiar subjects such as flowers, animals and landscapes, he creates a special sense of power by rendering the forms on a grand scale. Rather than being the sort of Japanese painting one quietly contemplates, Ryūshi’s works feel more like a stage that draws the viewer into the picture. I believe that Ryūshi Kawabata’s unique charm lies in the way he expanded the boundaries of traditional Japanese painting, imbuing it with a contemporary sense of scale and vitality.