Nakamura Tsune
1913
Oil on canvas
From Mr. I’s Collection
Nakamura Tsune
1887-1924
Born in Ibaraki Prefecture. Nakamura studied yōga painting at the Hongō Kikuzaka and Tameike institutes of the Hakubakai and the Taiheiyo Art Research Institute. He received a series of awards following his selection for the government’s Bunten Exhibition in 1909, and consequently attracted attention as an up-and-coming artist. From 1911, he worked at Shinjuku Nakamuraya, which sheltered young artists. In 1916, he was awarded a special award at the Bunten Exhibition. He adopted the styles of Rembrandt and other modern Western masters, and painted many deep, spiritual, heartwarming self-portraits and portraits. As he suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis, he was in a constant struggle with death throughout the course of his painting career.