Sōtarō Yasui was a Japanese painter who was noted for the development of yōga (Western-style) portraiture in early 20th-century Japanese painting. Yasui was born to a merchant class household in Kyoto, but dropped out of commercial high school against his family's wishes to pursue a career in the arts. In 1907, at the age of nineteen he moved to Paris, France to study at the Académie Julian under Jean-Paul Laurens. During this seven years, from 1907 to 1914, he was strongly influenced by the realistic styles of Jean-François Millet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and, in particular, Paul Cézanne. He attempted to perfect his style, which incorporates clear outlines and vibrant colors in portraits and landscapes, combining western realism with the softer touches of traditional nihonga techniques. In 1930, he displayed these techniques in "A Portrait of a Woman" to wide critical acclaim, and was nominated for membership in the prestigious Imperial Fine Arts Academy in 1935.
安井曾太郎(Sōtarō Yasui)是一位日本画家，他因在20世纪初的日本绘画中发展了洋画（西式）肖像画而闻名。安井出生在京都的一个商人家庭，但为了追求艺术，他违背了家人的意愿从商业高中辍学。1907年，19岁的他来到法国巴黎，在朱利安学院学习，师从让-保罗-劳伦斯。在1907年至1914年的这七年里，他深受让-弗朗索瓦-米莱、皮埃尔-奥古斯特-雷诺阿，特别是保罗-塞尚的现实主义风格的影响。他试图完善自己的风格，在肖像和风景画中融入清晰的轮廓和鲜艳的色彩，将西方写实主义与传统日本画技法的柔和点缀相结合。1930年，他在《一个女人的肖像》中展示了这些技巧，获得了广泛的好评，并于1935年被提名为著名的帝国美术学院成员。
Roses were one of Yasui’s favorite subjects. Here, we see an Imari vase, with the vivid rose petals floating against a plain black background. At first glance, the brushwork seems offhand and bold, but the edge of the table, slightly angled upward towards the right; the subtle placement of the vase, tilting leftward; the rose petals, spreading in beautiful balance across the picture plane; and the thickness of the gray tablecloth, all show us that Yasui had carefully worked out the composition and color plan. The result, however, is a painting free of rigid formality and brimming with robust beauty.
玫瑰是安井最喜欢的主题之一。这幅画中，我们看到一个伊万里花瓶，鲜艳的玫瑰花瓣浮现在纯黑色背景上。乍一看，笔法看似随意而大胆，但桌子边缘略微向右上倾斜；而花瓶的位置也很微妙，略微向左倾斜；玫瑰花瓣则美丽得分散开来，与画面形成了一个微妙的平衡；还有灰色桌布的厚重，都表明了安井精心设计了整个构图和画面色彩。然而，结果却是一幅没有拘泥于形式的、充满粗犷强劲之美的画作。
We present today's work thanks to Bridgestone Museum of Art. :)
感谢普利司通美术馆与我们分享今天的画作。:)
