Ikenaga Yasunari, 1965 | The modern muses

Japanese painter🎨 Ikenaga Yasunari's [池永康晟] serene and soothing portraits of modern women evoke a dreamy nostalgia through their faded golden hues and elegant floating poses.

Using a Menso brush, mineral pigments, and soot ink on linen cloth, Yasunari continues the ancient tradition of Nihonga painting while simultaneously bringing modern elements to play, such as present-day clothing styles and floral textile designs.

The result is both beautiful and melancholy, capturing the timelessness of the Nihonga style as well as its dimming presence through the years.

Ikenaga’s paintings also showcase exquisite textile pattern designs.

His subjects are always women of modern times, but at the same time, the Nihonga painting style reflects ancient Japanese traditions, which gives his works a timeless feel.

He creates his art by dropping Japanese paints into the canvas that he calls “linen cloth”, with a Menso brush.

L'artista giapponese Ikenaga Yasunari è ormai noto in tutto il mondo per i suoi ritratti di donne sognanti.

I suoi soggetti sono sempre donne dei tempi moderni, ma al tempo stesso, la sua pittura riflette antiche tradizioni giapponesi, che danno alle sue opere una sensazione senza tempo.

Il suo olio su tela di lino è impregnato di pigmenti minerali, fuliggine e foglia d'oro.