Chinese Beauty

The work Chinese Beauty is by Ryuzaburo Umehara. The work is executed using mineral pigment on gold-applied paper. Umehara was one of the most significant figures in the development of modern Japanese Western style painting. He gradually developed a more forceful approach to colour, characterised by vivid contrasts, expressive brushstrokes and an interest in the decorative organisation of the picture surface. The work does not follow the conventions of European oil painting. Instead, it employs mineral pigments, gold applied paper and a fan like composition. One of the most interesting aspects of Chinese Beauty is its fan like format. Umehara adopts a shape associated with decorative objects and traditional East Asian visual culture. The gold surface also changes the way the figures are perceived. They exist against a decorative ground that emphasises the physical surface of the artwork. In Chinese Beauty, the gold surface is not simply ornamental. It contributes to the overall visual organisation of the work, creating a sense of richness and decorative intensity. The vividness of the palette, the emphasis on surface and the combination of gold with mineral pigments allow the painting to evoke the richness of ceramic decoration without becoming a direct imitation of it.