Self-Portrait

Nakagawa Kazumasa was born in Tokyo and, in his teens, was self-taught in the areas of literature and western-style painting. Kishida Ryusei approved Nakagawa’s first attempt at an oil painting, and Nakagawa later participated in the activities of the Sodosha group. Nakagawa exhibited works in the Nika-ten and Sodosha group exhibitions and participated in the founding of the Shun’yokai. He continued throughout his life to use his distinctive style to create paintings with nature as their subject. Nakagawa’s work during his career of more than 75 years was not limited to western-style painting, he demonstrated many different, richly lyrical talents in the areas of Japanese painting, calligraphy, illustration and ceramics. This work, a self-portrait created when he was 26 years old, is an important work from his earliest period, when he was active with the Sodosha group. The frank, unadorned gaze of the young artist, filled with passion yet hidden, still appeals to our senses today.