著者

今村 信隆

出版者

北海道大学大学院文学研究科北方研究教育センター = Center for Northern Humanities, Graduate School of Letters, Hokkaido University

雑誌

北方人文研究 = Journal of the Center for Northern Humanities (ISSN:1882773X)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.6, pp.1-27, 2013-03-31

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It is often said that since the modern art theories and oil paintings had been introduced into Japan in the beginning of the Meiji era, animal paintings by Japanese oil painters have been relatively rare. From the 1930s to the early 1940s, however, animal subjects in Japanese oil paintings have exceptionally increased both in quality and quantity. Mainly discussing this period, the argument of this paper shows that for some oil painters who were born in Hokkaido, animal subjects were one of the chief ways to meet the requirement of “local color”. IGUSHI Kaichi (1911-1955), born in the north-east part of Hokkaido prefecture, often painted animals of his homeland. Some of his works in the 1930s, paintings of seals or foxes, were interpreted by his contemporaries as a typical representation of his homeland, and the painter himself referred to his own ambition to depict some “local color”. KUNIMATSU Noboru (1907-1994), one of the most famous animal painters in Hokkaido, also has included animals such as birds and dogs in his works since the 1930s. OGAWARA Shu (1911-2002) started his career as a surrealist. But in the early 1940s, as his style was shifted to more north conscious one, he depicted some animals. In order to paint wild cranes from life, UENOYAMA Kiyotsugu (1889-1960) explored frozen fields in the east coast of Hokkaido from the mid 1930s onward. His Japanese crane paintings show disconnection from traditional crane subjects in Japanese-style paintings. Hokkaido prefecture, the northernmost part of Japan, has not only the unique fauna but also some prominent painters who have frequently depicted animal subjects.