Meet an Artist Crossing Boundaries.KAINOSHO Tadaoto
KAINOSHO Tadaoto: Crossing Boundaries in Nihonga, Theater and Film
＠Kyoto Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
until April 9 2023.
With English captions
KAINOSHO Tadaoto (1894〜1978) was a painter whose drawings are known for unique decadent touch. He worked during the Taisho (1912-1926) and early Showa Period (1926-1989).Although traditional bijinga (portraits of beautiful women) are painted simple and modest touches, KAINOSHO introduced intense shading on the white skin of women.
As a result, some people have devalued his works and called them "derori," a term used for something grotesque. Also, he was seen as a strange person for his behavior from his childhood, as he wore women’s kimonos and posed for photographs as if he were a geisha or a Kabuki onnagata (female Kabuki actor).
Fortunately, his father appreciated and encouraged his cross-dressing , so he could openly and happily indulge himself in women’s fashion. Thanks to this environment, he could develop incomparable aesthetics as an artist.
KAINOSHO worked amid a time of reformation of Japanese art, when many artists was struggled to transform conventional formalistic Japanese art into a modern and western style that reflects reality and the insight of the artist.
KAINOSHO used dark shadows on women's faces in his picture so that his picturs embrace the beauty and darkness of humanity, however , they were criticized ugly.
He shifted from the art world, where controversy surrounded him, and began designing film costumes. His brilliant works let many movies successful. One of them, 'Ugetsu" (1953), directed by MIZOGUCHI Kenji, was nominated for an Oscar. However, the critics at that time rarely praised his work other than his paintings, considering his cross-genre creation 'unprofessional' and his cross-dressing performance 'abnormal.'
This exhibition, titled in English "Crossing Boundaries in Nihonga, Theater, and Film," sheds light on his achievement that were ignored by the "authentic" art world.
KAINOSHO's costumes, shown for the first time in a museum in 2019 boldly incorporate a mixture of Noh theater and Kabuki costumes, old masterpieces from Japanese paintings, and traditional kimono patterns. These works are breathtakingly fabulous and bear witnesses to his lifelong exploration for beauty which he has sought while crossing boundaries.
It has taken a long time to fairly evaluate his passion for creation and his self-positive personality. Now, it is our turn to indulge in his boundless world of beauty.
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