Sisters of a Merchant Family 1936
Kitano Tsunetomi （1880-1947）
Work Descriptions
Sisters talk on a garden bench on a hot summer evening. The older sister sits with both hands between her knees on the bench, and speaks shyly to her younger sister, who listens while lying down and resting her chin in her hands. This is a brilliant depiction of the differences in age and personality between these daughters of a merchant family in Osaka, which is known as the “Kitchen of Japan.”
1936
Pigment on paper; pair of two-fold screens
159.5 × 172.8 cm each
Kitano Tsunetomi
Kitano Tsunetomi was born in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture. After learning carving and designing for woodblock print, he studied under Inano Toshitsune of Osaka. He became popular for decadent paintings of beautiful woman rendered with sensual emotion and punctilious expression, then steadily shifted to paintings of serene, elegant woman. He was active as a prominent figure in the Osaka art scene.
