Fuku Akino (秋野 不矩, Akino Fuku, July 25, 1908 - October 11, 2001) was a Japanese painter. She was born in Futamata, Iwata-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture (currently, Nimata Town, Tenryu Ward, Hamamatsu City). She became known by her paintings of Indian themes, landscapes and peoples.
Life and career
editAkino got a degree in teaching from Shizuoka's Normal School (current Shizuoka University Faculty of Education) in 1926. She taught classes at an elementary school, but quit after a year. Akino then went to Kyoto to learn Japanese-style painting (Nihonga), under the guidance of Suisho Nishiyama.[1]
In 1948, Akino left the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition and joined the Sozo Bijutsu (Creative Arts) group, together with Uemura Shoko and Fukuda Toyoshiro, seeking a renewal of Japanese art. The following year, she became an assistant professor at Kyoto City University of Arts.
When she was 53 years old, Akino was invited by India's Visva-Bharati University to be a visiting professor.[2] Charmed by the country, she started to work on Indian themes. Akino visited India several times, painting the country's landscapes, buildings and peoples.[3] Akino also visited Bangladesh, Nepal, Cambodia and Africa.
Akino died on 11 October 2001, in Kyoto, of a heart attack.[1]
Honors
edit
Akino was named a Person of Cultural Merit in 1991 and was awarded the Order of Culture in 1999.[1][4] A museum housing her artworks was built in her hometown of Hamamatsu in 1998.[5] The museum was designed by Japanese architect Terunobu Fujimori.[3][5]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Obituary: Fuku Akino". The Japan Times Online. 2001-10-12. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ^ "Akino Fuku—Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Artist's Birth | The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto". www.momak.go.jp. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ^ a b "Hamamatsu City Fuku Akino Art Museum | iN HAMAMATSU.COM". www.inhamamatsu.com. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ^ "Thursday, November 11". japan.kantei.go.jp. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ^ a b Gleason, Alan. "artscape International". www.dnp.co.jp. Retrieved 2019-01-04.