Art Gallery

This virtual exhibition features works by the Japanese portrait painter Masayuki TAKAGI and the Russian landscape painter Vyacheslav LUBYANOV.

Masayuki TAKAGI

Masayuki TAKAGI has loved painting since childhood. 20 years ago, Masayuki TAKAGI started as a portrait artist.

Masayuki Takagi’s portraits of maiko are full of compassion and are so realistic that it seems, that the models are about to speak to you.

Here are three portraits of maiko, with commentary by the artist.

Maiko in front of a large mirror

In this portrait, maiko is looking into a hand mirror and fixing her make-up. It happens during a break in a posing session for a group of artists. The beauty of maiko‘s face and kimono are of course very important, but it was a rare moment when maiko had her back to us and we could see the beauty of her hairstyle, the hairline at the back and the beautiful obi belt. I could not resist taking a shot with my camera…

I remembered once buying a painting poster in an American art museum. It was “Girl at Mirror” by Norman Rockwell (1984 -1978), a famous American artist and illustrator. The painting shows a teenage girl sitting in front of a mirror. The portrait depicts the girl from the front and from behind.

Portrait of Maiko. Kyoto in July.

In July, during the traditional Gion Festival (gion matsuri), the city of Kyoto comes alive. The highlight of the festival is the spectacular procession of the two-storied Yamaboko floats. Musicians sit on top of yamaboko and play flutes, drums and gongs.

During the Gion festival, I made sketches and later painted an oil painting. The kimono patternis hydrangeas. Maiko is holding a fan. She seems a little tense. She has only recently become a maiko, so she is wearing lipstick only on her lower lip. The fan has the mon (emblem) of her okiya (“production house”) on one side and maiko’s name written on the other side.

By the way, according to Japanese etiquette, one should not sit on the border of the tatami, a thin strip of cloth called heri.

Maiko playing the flute

A maiko is playing the flute. The yellow background is gold leafed for a glamorous effect, while the figures of the two dancing maiko in the background are drawn with clearly defined contour lines.

Maiko learn to dance and play traditional musical instruments, such as the shamisen, flute and tsuzumi drums. They also learn calligraphy, the tea ceremony and Japanese painting… Maiko are studying all the time … just like pupils. Mastering the dance and playing musical instruments are of particular importance.

The maiko in this painting is very popular. I have had the opportunity to paint her twice. That was the second time, and maiko looked very relaxed and filled with self-confidence.

This maiko has visited Paris and Thailand as part of a ‘Traditional Japanese Culture’ goodwill project, and NHK made a documentary about it.

Vyacheslav Lubyanov

Vyacheslav Lubyanov is a professional landscape painter with a keen sense of nature’s moods. His paintings are filled with light and sincere warmth. Lubyanjov has travelled extensively in Russia and his paintings reflect the diversity of the country’s landscapes. V. Lubyanov is Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Southern Federal University and holds the title of Honorary Artist of Russia. Many of his paintings are in art museums and private collections.