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July 3 (Saturday) - September 5 (Sunday), 2010
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Chapter 1 Sentimental Tone: 1912-1920
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In 1912, Koga moved to Tokyo determined to become an artist, and began serious study of watercolor painting. He was fascinated by the artistic and poetic works of TAKEHISA Yumeji; the poems of KITAHARA Hakushu, who was born in Yanagawa, near Kurume; and the works of Paul CEZANNE, who was so popular at the time. |
Portrait of Mrs Koga
watercolor
Private Collection |
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Chapter 2 Joyous Embarkation: 1921-1925
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In 1921, Koga began work on "Entombment", drawing on the stillbirth of his child, and submitted it along with "From the Upstairs Window" to the Nika Exhibition the following year to win the Nika Prize and garner considerable attention. He joined the avant-garde "Action" group of young Nika artists, studying Cubism and exploring the plastic arts. |
Entombment
oil 1922
Chion-in |
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Chapter 3 Dreaming of Flapping His Wings: 1926-1928
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Koga stopped copying from life in 1926, turning instead to the unlimited world of the imagination. Paintings from this period reveal the influence of Paul KLEE, and his output of poetry also rose considerably. |
Amusement Park
watercolor 1926
Bridgestone Museum of Art, Ishibashi Foundation |
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Chapter 4 New Myths: 1929-1933
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Modern Art arrived suddenly in 1929, and the majority of works from this period draw on existing imagery. Koga appears to have started incorporating the surrealism theory that was being introduced into Japan at this time in both his paintings and his poems. |
Sea
oil 1929
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo |
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Annex Exhibition
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Entitled "Koga Harue To the Fore: The Nika Exhibition Comes to Fukuoka," this exhibition introduces the first Nika Exhibition held in Fukuoka, the efforts of Koga Harue in managing preparations for the exhibition, and the city of Fukuoka at the time. |
Post card of the Fukuoka Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall
1923 and later
Fukuoka City Museum |
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