Kuroda Seiki, August 9, 1866 – July 15, 1924, was a Japanese painter and one of the founders of modern Western-style (yōga) painting in Japan. Born in Kagoshima, he studied law before turning to art, training for nearly a decade in Paris under the academic painter Raphaël Collin.
After returning to Japan in 1893, Kuroda introduced plein-air painting, Impressionist influences, and modern European techniques to Japanese audiences. He taught at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, helped establish the White Horse Society (Hakubakai), and played a central role in the development of Japanese oil painting during the Meiji period.
Kuroda’s paintings include portraits, landscapes, figure studies, interiors, and floral subjects. He later served as director of the Imperial Art Academy and was named to the House of Peers. Today his works are held by the Tokyo National Museum, the Kuroda Memorial Hall, and major museums throughout Japan.
Kume Keiichirō in His Studio, 1889
Oil on canvas
Kume Museum of Art, Tokyo
Reading, 1891
Oil on canvas, 38.7 x 31 in
Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo
Chrysanthemums and Western Woman, 1892
Oil on canvas, 23.7 x 32 in
Wikimedia Commons
Female Figure (Kitchen), 1892
Oil on canvas, 70.7 x 45 in
Tokyo University of the Arts Museum, Tokyo
Evening Moon at the Seaside, 1896
Oil on wood panel, 9.3 x 12.9 in
Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo
The Fields, 1897
Oil on canvas, 21.6 x 28.7 in
Pola Museum of Art, Hakone, Japan
Lakeside, 1897
Oil on canvas, 27.2 x 33.3 in
Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo
Under the Shade of a Tree, 1898
Oil on canvas, 30.7 x 36.9 in
Woodone Museum of Art, Hatsukaichi, Japan
Wisdom, Impression, Sentiment, 1899
Oil on canvas, 70.9 x 39.3 in
Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo
Easter Lilies, 1909
Oil on canvas, 28.6 x 35.8 in
Ishibashi Museum of Art, Kurume, Japan
Doctor Terao Hisashi, 1909
Oil on canvas, 27.8 x 21.7 in
Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo
Woman in Red Clothing, 1912
Oil on canvas, 27.7 x 23 in
Reimeikan, Kagoshima, Japan
At Kamakura (Rapeseed), 1916
Oil on canvas, 5.5 x 7.1 in
Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo
