Kayama Matazo (加山又造)

Matazo KAYAMA (September 24, 1927 - April 6, 2004) was a Japanese-style painter and printmaker.

In 1927, he was born into a Nishijin brocade designer family in Kyoto Prefecture. He graduated from Kyoto Prefectural School of Art and Crafts (present-day Kyoto City Dohda Senior High School of Arts) and the Tokyo Fine Arts School (present-day Tokyo University of the Arts). He studied under Kyujin YAMAMOTO. Kayama was a professor emeritus at Tokyo University of the Arts. He portrayed the traditional beauty of style found in Japanese paintings through his own modern sensibility. He was selected in 1997, as a Bunkakorosha (Person of Cultural Merit), and was honored the Bunkakunsho (Order of Cultural Merit) in 2003.

Representative Works

'Waves in Spring and Autumn' (1966) The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo

'Snow,' 'Moon' and 'Flowers' (1978) The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo

'Huangshan in the Clouds, Huangshan in the Rain' (1982) The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo

'Lying Nude 1984 (in black clothing)' (1984)

'Bokuryu' (Dragon in Ink) Minobusan Kuon-ji Temple Main Hall Ceiling Painting

'Waves and Cranes' A picture for British Airways to be printed on aircraft tails for their world image promotion

[Original Japanese]