Standing Child

The model for this work was Narashige's oldest son, his five-year-old son Yasuhiro. Knowing how children hate to stand still, he gave his son a reward, or read him a story as he completed this work. He dressed his son in chic Western garb, and got this pose by giving him a special toy. These factors all speak of Narashige's Western sensibilities immediately after his return from Paris, and in the work we can sense the fond gaze of a parent. On the other hand, of particular note is the interaction of light and shadow playing across the sun's rays spilling in from the left. The emphatic expression of shadows ably differentiate the aspects of this work, from the folds of the child's Western clothes which appear in other works, to the material sense and feel of the interior furnishings and equipment.