Mirror

Throughout his life, Fukuoka-born Western-style painter Kojima sought to establish "a Japanese form of oil painting." This was the "oil painting which is not an imitation of westerners" that he developed after four hard years of study in Europe. Kojima's style is characterized by a bold, simple grasp of volume and a refreshingly warm, bright palette combined with the decorative quality of Japanese art in a unique fusion which generally came to be known as the "Kojima style." This work is a representative example of Kojima's early portraits and in it we can discern the nascent forms of the "Kojima style." This painting was exhibited at the Third Dokuritsu Exhibition (1933).