Eight Hours

Two female office employees – one is typing while the other is making a phone call, looking at someone's business card. The eight hours in the title referring to the standard working hours under the Labor Standards Law was a novel subject for a painting at the time this work was presented. Insho's attitude of squarely treating social realism was positively evaluated and even praised as "modern awakening" of Nihon-ga.Cubist influence can be detected in the human figures traced out with a combination of curves and straight lines and geometric spatial processing, generating a modern atmosphere. The subdued pastel colors seem to express the elegance of working women. Yet, the darkness behind the half-open door, which visually tightens up the center of the painting, may be a hint at the dark depth of modern society.