Kazuki Yasuō
Year unknown
Oil on canvas
From Mr. I’s Collection
Kazuki Yasuō
1911-1974
Born in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Studied at the Kawabata School of Painting and Tokyo School of Fine Arts. In 1939, he received a special award at the Japan Ministry of Education Art Exhibition and an honorable mention at the Kokuten exhibition. The following year, he received the Saburi Prize, awarded to outstanding newcomers to Kokuten, and was nominated to become a Kokuten society member. He was conscripted for military service in 1943. After experiencing internment in Siberia, the bright, clear works he had produced until then were replaced by works based on his war experiences, emphasizing the tragedy and absurdity of war. In 1954, he won the first Shinchōsha Japan Fine Art Prize for his Siberia Series. He based himself in Yamaguchi for the remainder of his life.