Migishi Setsuko
1984
Oil on canvas
From Mr. I’s Collection
Migishi Setsuko
1905-1999
Born in Aichi Prefecture, Migishi studied under Okada Saburōsuke, then attended the Joshibi University of Art and Design and graduated at the top of her class. Her first exhibition and selection were in the Shunyo Art Exhibition. She married fellow painter Migishi Kōtarō, but became a widow in 1934. While raising her children, she continued to produce her works, establishing herself in the art world. In her later years, she traveled to France and painted outstanding landscape paintings. A self-proclaimed “flower painter”, she continued to paint flowers throughout her life, characterised by bold, heavy brush strokes and use of clear colors. She was the first Japanese female yōga painter to have a retrospective exhibition at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., and the first female yōga painter to be named a Person of Cultural Merit, contributing to the advancement of women in the art world.