A refined vintage shikishi art print featuring 「仕女図」 (Bijin / Court Lady Picture), depicting an elegant 唐美人 (Tō Bijin) — a beauty inspired by the ladies of China’s Tang dynasty — after a work by celebrated Japanese painter Yoshikawa Reika (吉川霊華, 1875–1929).
Although the subject draws upon the classical image of the Tang-dynasty court beauty, the work reflects Reika’s deep engagement with traditional Japanese painting and historical pictorial styles. Rather than pursuing dramatic colour or heavy modelling, he placed great importance on the expressive potential of the line itself, giving his figures an extraordinary sense of elegance and refinement.
Yoshikawa Reika born in the Yushima district of Tokyo in 1875, Yoshikawa Reika also historically romanised as Kikkawa Reika — was one of the important figures in the revival and reinterpretation of classical Japanese painting during the modern era.
In 1916, he helped establish the influential Kinrei-sha (金鈴社) painting society together with artists including Kaburaki Kiyokata and Hirafuku Hyakusui. The group played an important role in exploring new possibilities for Nihonga while remaining deeply connected to Japan’s classical artistic heritage.
