Higashiyama Kaii (1908–1999) was born in Yokohama and is regarded as one of the leading landscape painters of post-war Japanese art. He studied at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and, whilst travelling throughout Japan as well as to Northern Europe and Germany, depicted forests, lakes, paths and mountains in serene compositions. Rather than meticulously reproducing real landscapes, he excelled at organising colours and forms to express the scenes that lingered in his mind, much like a poem. In particular, his works, dominated by shades of blue and green, exude a profound tranquillity and a sense of crystalline clarity. In 1969, he was awarded the Order of Culture.

When viewing Kaii Higashiyama’s works, one strangely senses the presence of the human spirit, even when there are hardly any figures in the landscape. The paths, forests and lake surfaces seem to reflect not merely nature, but also memories, prayers and even solitude. Rather than simply ‘viewing a landscape’, Higashiyama’s paintings feel like works that grant us a moment to quietly look within ourselves. Their clear colours and profound resonance are a great source of charm that lingers in the heart for a long time.